My hon. Friend is very excitable, God bless him.
We were concerned about these constitutional changes, so we sought advice from leading counsel who are experts on planning law. I must say to the Secretary of State that I was heartened by what she said about Scotland, but the construction of the clauses does not deliver what she told us at the Dispatch Box. Obviously, we shall be very co-operative in trying to amend it.
The Bill appears to hand the decision-making process entirely to the Scottish Parliament and Executive, even though the Bill at first sight purports to apply to the whole of the UK. That might be a very reasonable thing to do, but why is it happening so quietly? There are clear implications for nuclear power. Will England have to build additional power stations to compensate for the eventual non-replacement of the Scottish ones? Will national infrastructure projects end at the Scottish border? We must know whether the Scottish Parliament and Executive could set wholly different time scales and limits—or none at all—in relation to these matters.
Planning Bill
Proceeding contribution from
Lord Pickles
(Conservative)
in the House of Commons on Monday, 10 December 2007.
It occurred during Debate on bills on Planning Bill.
About this proceeding contribution
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469 c45 Session
2007-08Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamberSubjects
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