Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why their devolution agreement with Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bristol City Council, North Somerset Council, South Gloucestershire Council and the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership is called the West of England devolution agreement, in the light of the fact that it does not include Cornwall Council or Devon County Council.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The West of England is the recognised name used to describe the area covered by the four local authorities: Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset. The West of England is used to describe organisations and functions that work across this geography, which include the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and the West of England Nature Partnership. Cornwall is already covered by a devolution deal – it is called the Cornwall Devolution Deal.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Planning Inspectorate invited comments from the applicant and interested parties regarding the Swansea Bay Lagoon Application (EN010049), including the consideration of alternatives to the proposed lagoon project, but did not do so in respect of the Thames Tideway Tunnel.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Each application is examined in the context of relevant designated National Policy Statements.
For the Thames Tideway Tunnel application the relevant national policy is contained in the Waste Water National Policy Statement (paragraph 2.6.34), which states:
"The examining authority and the decision maker should undertake any assessment of an application for the development of the Thames Tunnel on the basis that the national need for this infrastructure has been demonstrated".
"It would be for Thames Water to justify in its application the specific design and route of the project that it is proposing, including any other options it has considered and ruled out."
The Examining Authority (Panel) appointed to examine the Thames Tideway Tunnel did ask written questions and hold hearings about alternatives to the applicant’s above ground site selection process and tunnel drive / construction strategy, but as directed by the National Policy Statements, the Panel did not consider alternatives to a tunnel.
In the case of the Swansea Tidal Lagoon application the Secretary of State is due to issue his decision on 10 June 2015. It would not be appropriate to comment in any detail on the examination of this application in advance of the Secretary of State’s decision. However, suffice to say that there are no designated National Policy Statements for tidal range power generating schemes.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to follow up the letter from the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Industry of Germany received on 4 November 2014 offering £15 million to support a collaborative United Kingdom–German geothermal research and development project at the Eden Project; and whether they intend to support that project and an application for European Regional Development Fund funding in the second and third quarters of this year.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government replied to the German Minister last year, expressing support for the principle of testing the technology in this area of crystalline rock, and welcoming the potential for joint working with the Eden Project and Cornwall County Council.
Deep geothermal research and development will be a priority investment in the European Regional Development Fund programme for 2014-20, and is a component within Cornwall and Isle of Scilly’s European Structural and Investment Funds strategy.