Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide guidance to local authorities considering planning applications for cruise terminals on the comparative merits of berthed cruise ships receiving energy supplies from onshore sources and generating their own energy from diesel fuel.

The National Policy Statement (NPS) for Ports (www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-policy-statement-for-ports), designated in 2012, includes guidance about onshore electricity supply at paragraphs 5.7.12ff. Although the NPS primarily addresses nationally significant infrastructure projects as defined under the Planning Act 2008, for which it has legal force, it also stands as potentially relevant guidance for the Marine Management Organisation and for local authorities when dealing with smaller ports projects.