Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 16199 on Infrastructure: Planning Permission, what steps she is taking to speed up Ministerial decision-making on national significant infrastructure consents.

As part of the government’s Plan for Change, we are committed to fast-tracking planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects by the end of this Parliament.

The reasons that Ministerial decisions on individual applications can exceed the three-month statutory deadline are varied and complex and include the need to secure additional information on unresolved matters at the point Ministers receive the recommendation of the Examining Authority.

The forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes measures designed to resolve issues prior to the decision stage. It will deliver a faster and more certain consenting process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) by ensuring that National Policy Statements are updated regularly, streamlining NSIP consultation requirements and reducing opportunities for judicial review.