Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Oral Answers to Questions

Antoinette Sandbach Excerpts
Thursday 17th September 2015

(9 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Amber Rudd Portrait Amber Rudd
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I thank the hon. Gentleman for that question. I will have to look into the precedent, but if that has been the precedent I am sure that we will continue to do it.

Antoinette Sandbach Portrait Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Con)
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I was grateful for the Secretary of State’s earlier reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Mr Hollobone). My constituents share the concerns about large-scale solar parks on agricultural land. How is the Secretary of State co-ordinating with the Department for Communities and Local Government to see how the planning process can assist with rooftop deployment?

Amber Rudd Portrait Amber Rudd
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My hon. Friend is entirely right that the control of where such deployment takes place is not entirely under this Department’s authority. We engage with the DCLG, which has strengthened planning guidance so that projects must go through a stringent planning process. Decisions should be made locally with community engagement.