Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the adequacy of the planning system for building clean energy projects.

The Department has been working closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on delivering the proposals in the published Action Plan for reforming and speeding up the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project planning process. An important part of these reforms involves updating and strengthening the National Policy Statements for energy. The consultation on the National Policy Statements closed on 23 June and the Government remains on track to present them to Parliament and bring them into effect by the end of 2023.