, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
The highway one is an interesting one, actually, because the current rules, we think, are quite restrictive. So, they're about linear—I can't remember off the top of my head—15, I think it is, hectares for a motorway and slightly less for an A road, but…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Basically, we already have that. We have developments of national significance now, so there's a whole set of criteria that would allow you to say what is or isn't significant. Sometimes there are things that are marginal, so we're asked to call things in in…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
The term 'significant' will become what the lawyers call a 'term of art', so it'll have a specific set of things associated with it, and so you won't be able to just decide something's not significant because in your head it isn't. There'll be a whole body of…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Just to say, I suppose, we're still in discussion with them about what the methodology should be to ensure that they've taken everything into account in setting those fees that ought to be taken into account.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Yes.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
That's right, Joyce. So, just to set the scene—I'll let Neil answer some of the specifics—the first thing to say is that this Bill is not an isolated thing; it sits in a raft of other legislation. So, it sits alongside the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 and the…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
No, but the data collection is one of the issues. So, the whole issue about floating wind, for example, is we don't really know how that's going to—. We'll want to, on the precautionary approach, start small and collect the data. We have this conversation…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Yes. I think we all agree with that. You may remember that we had a bit of an argument with the UK Government over their Energy Bill and the way that they want the compensation to work for environmental impact, with which we still don't agree, by the way. So…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
I don't think that's any surprise to anyone, by the way.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Yes.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Right. So, yes, I think there probably is a future need for specialist advice. Colleagues around this table will be very familiar with the arguments over the years about whether we should have regional teams or not. It tends to be the case that the officers…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
I just wanted to put that on the record.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
So, this is about understanding what the system looks like. We are going to have to do a lot of work to help the planning authorities maintain their skills and expertise—this isn't the only area of local government that's been hollowed out over the last…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
So, it isn't just about the level of the fees, is it? I'm smiling because one of the conversations I have with developers all the time is that it's no good them complaining to me that the local planning authority is going slowly when they've just fished three…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
We're very committed to full cost recovery—I don't see any reason why the public purse should be subsidising developers of this scale. So, what we're currently doing is working with all of our various organisations to make sure that all of their costs can be…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
We expect that the new regime will need a little bit more resourcing at the beginning, as people get used to it, but the regime is more streamlined than before, so we think that once it's up and running, it won't take up any more resource than is now taken…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
So, what's their view of having to redo all of their comments, and all the rest of it. There's a real capacity issue there. And also, most of these things are pretty straightforward, but it would be just our luck, wouldn't it, if one that we hadn't had for 20…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Yes. They absolutely are tracking this. Actually, we are as concerned, though, with the stakeholders the other side.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Just to say, just from a lay person's point of view, a lot of it will depend on whether the information is translatable, if you like. So, if in the old process the stuff that you produce looks very like the new process, then, clearly, that's all right. If it…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Do you want to take that?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Again, we think the transition arrangements should be in the regulations, so that we can make sure that they’re fit for purpose and also so that they don’t clutter up the Bill into the future, when the transitional arrangements are finished. We need to make…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Yes. I think the clarity on the application process will be there, but it will be in subordinate regulations, because we want that to be able to change as time goes on. So, for example, there are still things on the statute book that say you have to give…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Infrastructure (Wales) Bill - Evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Diolch, Cadeirydd. This is a difficult balance, because I know the committee has heard us saying this before: we want a Bill that sets out very clearly the process by which a piece of infrastructure will achieve consent and licensing, and we want that not to…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Homelessness
No, it is not my understanding, and the bedroom tax is still driving some of this issue. But the biggest issue of all is the local housing allowance. The Tory Government last uplifted the local housing allowance in April 2020. The Rent Officers Wales evidence…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Homelessness
No, it is not my understanding.
