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Written Question
Asylum: Boats
Tuesday 25th July 2023

Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department undertook a consultation before deciding (a) to use barges and other floating vessels to accommodate people seeking asylum and (b) locating the Bibby Stockholm in Portland Port.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) has been completed and routinely monitored to ensure that the accommodation is safe, habitable, fit for purpose and meets all regulatory requirements, for single adult male asylum seekers.

We will assess individual’s suitability to reside at each location and will only accommodate individuals who are considered suitable to reside there. Each person’s suitability will be assessed at regular intervals.

The sites are be designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, helping to minimise the impact on local communities and services. This includes 24/7 security to reduce the need for police patrols, on-site catering and healthcare and transport provisions for asylum seekers.

We also conducted relevant assessments in line with the Home Office’s role as competent authority under the Conservation and Habitats Regulations 2017. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) screening was not required as planning permission was not required.


Written Question
Asylum: Portland Port
Tuesday 25th July 2023

Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the suitability of the Bibby Stockholm to berth at Portland Port as accommodation for up to 506 adults.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) has been completed and routinely monitored to ensure that the accommodation is safe, habitable, fit for purpose and meets all regulatory requirements, for single adult male asylum seekers.

We will assess individual’s suitability to reside at each location and will only accommodate individuals who are considered suitable to reside there. Each person’s suitability will be assessed at regular intervals.

The sites are be designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, helping to minimise the impact on local communities and services. This includes 24/7 security to reduce the need for police patrols, on-site catering and healthcare and transport provisions for asylum seekers.

We also conducted relevant assessments in line with the Home Office’s role as competent authority under the Conservation and Habitats Regulations 2017. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) screening was not required as planning permission was not required.


Written Question
Asylum: Boats
Tuesday 25th July 2023

Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment on the use of (a) the Bibby Stockholm and (b) other barges to accommodate people seeking asylum.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) has been completed and routinely monitored to ensure that the accommodation is safe, habitable, fit for purpose and meets all regulatory requirements, for single adult male asylum seekers.

We will assess individual’s suitability to reside at each location and will only accommodate individuals who are considered suitable to reside there. Each person’s suitability will be assessed at regular intervals.

The sites are be designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, helping to minimise the impact on local communities and services. This includes 24/7 security to reduce the need for police patrols, on-site catering and healthcare and transport provisions for asylum seekers.

We also conducted relevant assessments in line with the Home Office’s role as competent authority under the Conservation and Habitats Regulations 2017. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) screening was not required as planning permission was not required.


Written Question
Asylum: Boats
Tuesday 25th July 2023

Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department conducted an impact assessment on the use of (a) the Bibby Stockholm and (b) other barges to accommodate people seeking asylum.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) has been completed and routinely monitored to ensure that the accommodation is safe, habitable, fit for purpose and meets all regulatory requirements, for single adult male asylum seekers.

We will assess individual’s suitability to reside at each location and will only accommodate individuals who are considered suitable to reside there. Each person’s suitability will be assessed at regular intervals.

The sites are be designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, helping to minimise the impact on local communities and services. This includes 24/7 security to reduce the need for police patrols, on-site catering and healthcare and transport provisions for asylum seekers.

We also conducted relevant assessments in line with the Home Office’s role as competent authority under the Conservation and Habitats Regulations 2017. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) screening was not required as planning permission was not required.


Written Question
Asylum: Boats
Tuesday 25th July 2023

Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department made an (a) equality impact assessment and (b) policy equality statement on the use of the (i) Bibby Stockholm to accommodate people seeking asylum and (ii) barges and other floating vessels to accommodate people seeking asylum.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) has been completed and routinely monitored to ensure that the accommodation is safe, habitable, fit for purpose and meets all regulatory requirements, for single adult male asylum seekers.

We will assess individual’s suitability to reside at each location and will only accommodate individuals who are considered suitable to reside there. Each person’s suitability will be assessed at regular intervals.

The sites are be designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, helping to minimise the impact on local communities and services. This includes 24/7 security to reduce the need for police patrols, on-site catering and healthcare and transport provisions for asylum seekers.

We also conducted relevant assessments in line with the Home Office’s role as competent authority under the Conservation and Habitats Regulations 2017. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) screening was not required as planning permission was not required.


Written Question
Railways: Repairs and Maintenance
Thursday 27th January 2022

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has taken steps to ensure that environmental impact assessments are conducted and published on works programmes to existing railways.

Answered by Wendy Morton

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations refer to two schedules that can require Environmental Impact Assessments to be carried out by Network Rail in relation to works programmes. Network Rail works with legal advisors to advise on its schemes which includes compliance to legislation such as the Environmental Impact Assessment regulations. An Environmental Impact Assessment must accompany any application for planning permission or a Transport and Works Act Order where one is required by legislation.

Applications for Transport and Works Act Order, including any associated Environmental Impact Assessments, are made publicly available on the GOV.UK website at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/twa-inspector-reports-and-decision-letters#2021-twa-decisions-and-applications, as well as being available during formal consultations. Environmental Statements for schemes applying for planning permission from a local authority will be made available on the respective Local Planning Authority webpage, usually via the planning portal.


Written Question
Environmental Impact Assessment: Planning Permission
Wednesday 23rd June 2021

Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to begin the consultation on the use of Environmental Impact Assessments within the planning system.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The Government remains fully committed to the reform of environmental assessment as a key aspect of the upcoming changes to the planning system which it is taking forward following the Planning for the Future White paper, and the National Infrastructure Strategy.

The 'Planning for the Future' White Paper received a very high level of engagement and we are now in the process of analysing the feedback received. We are taking forward the work to develop a new environment assessment framework as part of that process. Further updates will be provided shortly.

The reformed approach to environmental assessment will be more accessible, easier to understand, simpler to execute and with fewer unnecessary delays. At the same time, the Government has been clear that this reformed system will maximise environmental benefits, recognising the importance of our domestic and international obligations for environmental protection.


Written Question
Borders: Facilities
Monday 8th March 2021

Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the use of Special Development Orders to give planning permission for inland border facilities in England meets their obligations under (1) the Aarhus Convention, and (2) the Kiev Protocol, to provide environmental information to the public.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

Special Development Orders (SDOs) respect the public’s access to environmental information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIRs). Information requests on SDOs and building the new facilities are likely to come within scope of the EIRs, as would most construction-related issues. This applies to requests and proactive disclosure.

The use of SDOs is provided for under The Town and Country Planning (Border Facilities and Infrastructure) (EU Exit) (England) Special Development Order 2020. There is a provision in the Order for proactive disclosure of information to, and engagement with, a number of interested parties. The Order does not disapply measures such as EIRs or Freedom of Information Act that implement our Aarhus Convention obligations with regards access to information. Most requests for information on planning will fall within the scope of the EIRs, and thus the relevant parts of Aarhus: Articles 2, 4, 5 and 9. These are the definition of environmental information, handling requests for environmental information, proactive publication of environmental information, and the appeals process where the requester is not content with the response from the public authority.

There are two main routes for the information generated to be covered by the definition in regulation 2(1) of the EIRs:

  1. The planning rules (and any adjustment to them through this Order) are measures and legislation under regulation 2(1)(c) that will impact upon the land and landscape under regulation 2(1)(a). Implementing the order will result in building works; breaking the ground for the new building, digging up the road to extend infrastructure, destruction of habitats, and the generation of waste and emissions. Other elements of the environment, such as air, water and biological diversity, may also be affected by the works permitted by the Order.

  1. The second route is more direct: the construction works will be an activity under regulation 2(1)(c) that affect the land, landscape and the other elements of the environment in regulation 2(1)(a), as in point 1 above.

The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)) Regulations 2017(8) state that EIA developments (which are not subjected to the SDO orders rules) must be subjected to an EIA. This must be submitted before the relevant planning authority, the Secretary of State or an inspector in order to grant planning permission. The EIA and screening procedures determine whether the development is likely to have significant environmental effects, along with the Environmental Statement applications. These are accompanied by publicity requirements such as public consultations and publication of environmental information prior to the decision of the relevant authority.

Finally, the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) is an inventory of pollution from industrial sites and other sources, and the Kiev Protocol requires that this information is publicly accessible. The UK maintains a publicly accessible national PRTR that enables the public to have access to environmental information concerning the activities listed in Annex 1 of the Protocol.

The UK remains committed to the objectives of the PRTR, both domestically and internationally, and continues to monitor its implementation of the Protocol.


Written Question
Housing: Construction
Tuesday 8th December 2020

Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that environmental impact assessments for new housing developments include analysis of (a) air quality and (b) noise pollution.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

New housing developments which are likely to have significant effects on the environment require an environmental impact assessment (EIA). An EIA must identify, describe and assess the likely significant impacts on a variety of factors, including on human health and air quality.

This will, where relevant, include an assessment of air and noise pollution, as well as a description of their effects. The EIA is then open to consultation with experts and the public. The information the assessment contains and the views expressed through consultation must be taken into account in the decision to grant permission for any development.

As part of our commitment to streamline and improve the planning system, we have committed to review the environmental assessment process, with the aims of making it faster and easier to navigate, whilst upholding environmental protections and where possible going further to take advantages of opportunities for environmental improvement.


Written Question
Wind Power: Impact Assessments
Friday 4th December 2020

Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial strategy, what recent environmental impact assessments have been undertaken on the effect of wind power on the (a) land and b) sea environments.

Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng

Offshore and onshore wind developers are required to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment as part of any planning application. The Environmental Impact Assessment affords protection to the environment by ensuring that the planning authority considers any significant effects as part of the decision-making process and that the local community are informed of any impacts.

For onshore wind projects in England, the local authority is the primary decision maker for all sizes of schemes. We introduced planning tests in 2015 that ensure that local communities have the final say on onshore wind farm developments. This means that a local community can raise concerns based on the publicly available information in the Environmental Impact Assessment, and a development cannot be granted permission if these concerns have not been addressed. Copies of Environmental Impact Assessments are usually available on local authority websites.

Planning applications for offshore wind projects in England and Wales above 100MW capacity are determined by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime. In respect of the Secretary of State’s decisions on applications for development consent made so far in 2020, Environmental Impact Assessments were carried out on the Thanet Extension Offshore Wind Farm and the Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm, details of which are available on The Planning Inspectorate’s website - https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/

In addition, Defra has undertaken strategic assessments of the environmental impacts of offshore wind developments, including assessments of cabling impacts, floating wind technologies and underwater noise. Given the Government’s ambitions for offshore wind, Defra is working closely with other Government bodies, the Crown Estate, industry and wider stakeholders to prepare for and mitigate against the environmental impacts of growth in this sector. Included in this is the Offshore Wind Enabling Actions programme, a £4.3m action programme to be jointly run by Defra and BEIS to deliver upon its aims.