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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the letter dated 29 January 2021 from the Chairman on the Committee on Climate Change on his decision not to call in the decision of Cumbria County Council to grant planning permission to a new deep coking coal mine in Cumbria.

The Secretary of State’s powers to call in a case are used very selectively. On 6 January 2021 the Secretary of State decided not to call in this application. The responsibility for determining it is with Cumbria County Council. Further representations when received are carefully considered.