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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the (a) security agencies and (b) Bank of England have been able to make representations about the cyber-security of telecommunication cables in the BT Openreach exchange next to the proposed Chinese Embassy without providing that information to the Chinese Government.

As the hon. Member is aware, any party can make representations in respect of a planning application.

Representations on planning applications are dealt with in accordance with paragraphs 18, 19 and 20 of the published propriety guidance on planning casework decisions found on gov.uk here.

The Secretary of State is able to issue a direction under section 321 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. This allows specific evidence to be withheld from public inspection. Again, as the hon. Member is aware, no section 321 direction was made during the public inquiry on this matter, which closed on 19 February 2025.