Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to ensure that EDF contribute to infrastructure improvements in East Suffolk prior to the building of Sizewell C.

Any application for development consent for the proposed Sizewell C nuclear generating station will need to consider the potential impacts of the proposal and any mitigations that might be put forward by the developer to address or minimise those impacts to an acceptable level. The question of the appropriateness and acceptability in planning terms of any proposed mitigations will be tested during a public examination conducted by the Planning Inspectorate which will submit a report of its findings to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

In taking the decision on whether development consent should be granted for the project, the Secretary of State will follow the relevant requirements in the Planning Act 2008 and have regard to any matters which are important and relevant. In the event that consent was granted, any mitigation which the Secretary of State considered necessary before construction started would be included as a requirement in the development consent order.