Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that reforms to planning permission are matched by improvements to the processes for acquiring land and rights over land, so that grid connection projects are not delayed by unresolved land rights issues.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ has worked closely with stakeholders to understand the extent to which current land access, rights and consents processes delay and add costs to rollout of electricity network infrastructure required for delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating the UK’s transition to Net zero.
This has included looking at where there might be opportunities to learn from approaches to other utilities.
Government’s assessment was set out in a consultation in Summer 2025 on proposed reforms to these processes. We expect to publish the response in the coming quarter.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what consideration has been given to aligning the statutory powers available to electricity network operators for land access with those available to water and telecoms utilities, to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery of network upgrades.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ has worked closely with stakeholders to understand the extent to which current land access, rights and consents processes delay and add costs to rollout of electricity network infrastructure required for delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating the UK’s transition to Net zero.
This has included looking at where there might be opportunities to learn from approaches to other utilities.
Government’s assessment was set out in a consultation in Summer 2025 on proposed reforms to these processes. We expect to publish the response in the coming quarter.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the additional costs and delays to customers resulting from the current statutory processes for acquiring land and rights for electricity network upgrades.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ has worked closely with stakeholders to understand the extent to which current land access, rights and consents processes delay and add costs to rollout of electricity network infrastructure required for delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating the UK’s transition to Net zero.
This has included looking at where there might be opportunities to learn from approaches to other utilities.
Government’s assessment was set out in a consultation in Summer 2025 on proposed reforms to these processes. We expect to publish the response in the coming quarter.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of current land rights processes on the UK's ability to meet its Clean power 2030 targets.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ has worked closely with stakeholders to understand the extent to which current land access, rights and consents processes delay and add costs to rollout of electricity network infrastructure required for delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating the UK’s transition to Net zero.
This has included looking at where there might be opportunities to learn from approaches to other utilities.
Government’s assessment was set out in a consultation in Summer 2025 on proposed reforms to these processes. We expect to publish the response in the coming quarter.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will commit to developing new statutory mechanisms which provide electricity network operators with outcome-certain, timely, and cost-effective land access, while maintaining strong relationships with landowners.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ has worked closely with stakeholders to understand the extent to which current land access, rights and consents processes delay and add costs to rollout of electricity network infrastructure required for delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating the UK’s transition to Net zero.
This has included looking at where there might be opportunities to learn from approaches to other utilities.
Government’s assessment was set out in a consultation in Summer 2025 on proposed reforms to these processes. We expect to publish the response in the coming quarter.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will engage with industry and landowner representatives to develop innovative, respectful statutory land access powers to support the delivery of Clean Power 2030.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government regularly engages with industry and landowner representatives to explore opportunities for streamlining the land access, rights and consents processes. This work recently culminated in the publication of a consultation in summer 2025, which provided a formal opportunity for stakeholders to respond to a set of proposed reforms to these processes.
Prior to the consultation, the government established a Working Group to generate and appraise ideas to improve land access, rights and consenting processes, many of which were included in the consultation.
The Working Group met six times between April 2024 and May 2025.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps are in place to allow land rights negotiations and Section 37 applications to proceed in parallel.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Consent is required under section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 to install or keep installed certain overhead electric lines. Land rights negotiations and section 37 applications can proceed in parallel. The Secretary of State would normally expect land rights to be in place before granting a section 37 consent, although as set out in the Guidance, in some circumstances he may consent ahead of this on condition that the work must not proceed until the relevant agreements with landowners and/or occupiers are in place.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to introduce statutory turnaround times for consents teams handling compulsory purchase and necessary wayleave applications, to reduce end-to-end project timelines.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government is assessing how it can streamline land access, rights and consent processes to speed up electricity network deployment and published a consultation which ran from 8 July to 2 September 2025. The consultation proposed a raft of changes to these processes. We expect to publish our response in the coming quarter, setting out the direction of travel in this area.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 and the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025, to what extent his Department considered the duties and rights of the (a) Administration of Estates Act 1925, (b) Fatal Accidents Act 1976, and (c) Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934 in the development of the infected blood compensation scheme for infected and affected people.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Compensation tariffs for infected and affected people under the Scheme have been informed, but not limited, by current practice in UK courts and tribunals.
The Infected Blood Inquiry Response Expert Group Final Report provides detail on how the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 was considered when developing the tariffs under the Scheme. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infected-blood-inquiry-response-expert-group-summary-report/infected-blood-inquiry-response-expert-group-final-report#foreword-by-the-minister-for-the-cabinet-office.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to help ensure that bereaved families are treated equitably within the compensation scheme and retain a route to seek recognition of the full extent of injuries suffered by their relatives.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme provides compensation to affected people, who have suffered the impacts of infected blood through their relationship with an infected person. This includes partners, parents, children and siblings.
All eligible affected people receive the Injury, Autonomy, and Social Impact awards. The Injury award compensates for both physical and mental injury, including the death of an infected person or the likely death of a loved one in the future. The Injury award is higher in circumstances where it is likely that the infection had caused or could cause death.
A supplementary route is also available to compensate financial dependents where the infected person has sadly died. Financial dependents include bereaved partners, and children who were under 18 at the time of death.
In its Additional Report, the Inquiry asked the Government to give consideration to there being a supplementary route for affected people, suggesting that this include opening the supplemental award for severe psychological harm to affected people.
The Government has consulted on whether, and how, an expanded supplementary route for affected people could be constructed whilst continuing to allow for timely delivery of compensation within a tariff-based scheme. The Government is considering each response to the consultation with the seriousness the issue deserves, and will publish its response within 12 weeks of the consultation’s closing date.