Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if her Department will allocate funding to (a) planning authorities and (b) statutory consultees to help reduce approval times for renewable (i) generation and (ii) storage projects.

Measures for improving resource and capability in the Planning Inspectorate and statutory consultees were set out in the Nationally significant Infrastructure Planning Action Plan published by the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Local Communities in February last year (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationally-significant-infrastructure-projects-nsip-reforms-action-plan/nationally-significant-infrastructure-action-plan-for-reforms-to-the-planning-process), and were then consulted on in July last year. In parallel, provisions for cost recovery were included in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act. That is now being taken forward. This Department does not plan to allocate additional funding to these bodies.