My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for the very great care and attention she has taken in meeting representatives of the national parks and other interested parties and also meeting noble Lords to discuss this issue. It is a model of how a Minister should handle these conversations and...

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for the very great care and attention she has taken in meeting representatives of the national parks and other interested parties and also meeting noble Lords to discuss this issue. It is a model of how a Minister should handle these conversations and...

My Lords, because the noble Baroness has a very important amendment in this group, perhaps I might speak after her rather than before.

My Lords, because the noble Baroness has a very important amendment in this group, perhaps I might speak after her rather than before.

My Lords, I am very grateful to the Minister, and to the noble Baroness, Lady Parminter, who has pursued this issue throughout the passage of the Bill and has achieved a very significant step forward on the part of the Government.

What we need to be clear about is when the...

My Lords, I am very grateful to the Minister, and to the noble Baroness, Lady Parminter, who has pursued this issue throughout the passage of the Bill and has achieved a very significant step forward on the part of the Government.

What we need to be clear about is when the...

Carry on.

Carry on.

My Lords, the Minister’s explanation was clear and the position that she has taken is extremely important in preserving the requirement to enhance and conserve the natural beauty of the national parks. We therefore welcome her concessions in the amendment.

Perhaps I may put on the record the conclusions of the...

My Lords, the Minister’s explanation was clear and the position that she has taken is extremely important in preserving the requirement to enhance and conserve the natural beauty of the national parks. We therefore welcome her concessions in the amendment.

Perhaps I may put on the record the conclusions of the...

My Lords, first, I reinforce the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Tyler, about the importance of seeing that there is a proper communications infrastructure for the national parks, including superfast broadband. He said there were many SMEs. I have been struck by quite how many there are. According...

My Lords, first, I reinforce the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Tyler, about the importance of seeing that there is a proper communications infrastructure for the national parks, including superfast broadband. He said there were many SMEs. I have been struck by quite how many there are. According...

My Lords, I agree with the very last words of the noble Lord, Lord Jenkin. I have huge admiration for my noble friend Lord Judd, but even he would accept that they are not his national parks but the nation’s parks. That is why the concerns that have been raised...

My Lords, I agree with the very last words of the noble Lord, Lord Jenkin. I have huge admiration for my noble friend Lord Judd, but even he would accept that they are not his national parks but the nation’s parks. That is why the concerns that have been raised...

What is the big problem about analysing 1,000 responses in time to allow your Lordships’ House to see them before we proceed to Third Reading?

What is the big problem about analysing 1,000 responses in time to allow your Lordships’ House to see them before we proceed to Third Reading?

I am glad at this late hour to be joining the Committee’s deliberations as we come to the important provisions on the nation’s transport infrastructure. Amendments Nos. 117B, 134A, 168A and 168B would remove highway developments from the scope of the new development consent system and would present an alternative...

I am glad at this late hour to be joining the Committee’s deliberations as we come to the important provisions on the nation’s transport infrastructure. Amendments Nos. 117B, 134A, 168A and 168B would remove highway developments from the scope of the new development consent system and would present an alternative...

I do not think that that is a relevant consideration, as that was the way in which the consent was expressed. The issue here is the threshold above which proposals would be referred to the IPC. They are two very separate issues. The fact that the consent was expressed in...

I do not think that that is a relevant consideration, as that was the way in which the consent was expressed. The issue here is the threshold above which proposals would be referred to the IPC. They are two very separate issues. The fact that the consent was expressed in...

I say, first, to the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, that my information is that a letter was sent on the points she raised about the Cranford agreement and permitted development to John McDonnell MP after the first day of the Report stage in another place. However, I will look at...

I say, first, to the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, that my information is that a letter was sent on the points she raised about the Cranford agreement and permitted development to John McDonnell MP after the first day of the Report stage in another place. However, I will look at...

I cannot conceive that any letter from my department could be uninteresting, but the fact that a letter has been sent may not mean that it was received, whether it was interesting or not. I shall look at this issue and if there has been a slip-up in my department,...

I cannot conceive that any letter from my department could be uninteresting, but the fact that a letter has been sent may not mean that it was received, whether it was interesting or not. I shall look at this issue and if there has been a slip-up in my department,...

I have explained the position. I am not familiar with the European regulation to which the noble Baroness refers but I shall look at it and write to her. In conclusion, while I have been speaking I have been passed a copy of the letter from John Healey to John...

I have explained the position. I am not familiar with the European regulation to which the noble Baroness refers but I shall look at it and write to her. In conclusion, while I have been speaking I have been passed a copy of the letter from John Healey to John...

I shall write to my noble friend setting out the full reasons why. Our reasoning is that, as he said, it would be a development of an existing railway which had already gone through an exhaustive parliamentary process and consent procedure; it is in a different position from a wholly...

I shall write to my noble friend setting out the full reasons why. Our reasoning is that, as he said, it would be a development of an existing railway which had already gone through an exhaustive parliamentary process and consent procedure; it is in a different position from a wholly...

I have no idea why these amendments are grouped. I thought that it might be because the noble Earl anticipated that my noble friend, with his commendable zeal for rail freight, was about to propose a new dedicated goods line between England and Scotland. However, he has not yet done...

I have no idea why these amendments are grouped. I thought that it might be because the noble Earl anticipated that my noble friend, with his commendable zeal for rail freight, was about to propose a new dedicated goods line between England and Scotland. However, he has not yet done...

In his Amendments Nos. 140 to 143, 170 and 171, my noble friend exempts port operators from having to seek development consent if they possess relevant permitted development rights to carry out such work. I appreciate the point he made about ports undertakers being keen to avoid being required to...

In his Amendments Nos. 140 to 143, 170 and 171, my noble friend exempts port operators from having to seek development consent if they possess relevant permitted development rights to carry out such work. I appreciate the point he made about ports undertakers being keen to avoid being required to...

I am informed that Crossrail extension is a legal term defined in the Crossrail Act 2008. Alas, I do not have the wording of that Act to hand but I will supply it to my noble friend.

I am informed that Crossrail extension is a legal term defined in the Crossrail Act 2008. Alas, I do not have the wording of that Act to hand but I will supply it to my noble friend.

I do not have the empirical data to hand but I shall write to my noble friend on the average size of developments.

I do not have the empirical data to hand but I shall write to my noble friend on the average size of developments.

I will look at the issue of the A120 and come back to the noble Lord. Perhaps I may make one comment on the noble Lord’s proposal in respect of joint committees. We have discussed with the Local Government Association ways that we can improve the balance between local and...

I will look at the issue of the A120 and come back to the noble Lord. Perhaps I may make one comment on the noble Lord’s proposal in respect of joint committees. We have discussed with the Local Government Association ways that we can improve the balance between local and...

Despite my extensive brief, I do not have brief on every single A road in the country. I promise to write to the noble Lord when I have briefing on the particular issue to do with this road.

Despite my extensive brief, I do not have brief on every single A road in the country. I promise to write to the noble Lord when I have briefing on the particular issue to do with this road.