Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her planned timetable is for making a decision on the Anglesey Freeport draft Outline Business Case.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The new administration’s priority is to fully understand the impacts of interventions in places before taking any major decisions. Officials will be in touch with local stakeholders as soon as Ministers have confirmed their future plans. Details of the agreed process for appraising Welsh Freeport business cases is published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Oral Statement of 18 July 2024 on the Clean energy superpower mission, Official Report, columns 188-191, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of new solar infrastructure on (a) food security, (b) local economies and (c) the natural environment when developing the Government's Land Use Framework and Spatial Energy plan.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The planning system provides important checks and balances when new solar infrastructure is built, including environmental surveying and statutory environmental and habitat impact assessments.
The biggest risk to food security and the natural environment is the climate and nature crisis. That is why the government is committed to 2030 clean power, including rapidly expanding solar power generation in the UK.
As part of our efforts to become a clean energy superpower, we are commissioning a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP), which will be the first ever GB-wide spatial energy plan. DEFRA are the lead department for the Government’s Land Use Framework, and officials from the Department are supporting their work to ensure the two plans are consistent.