Planning Bill

moved Amendment No. 327: 327: Clause 105, page 54, line 15, leave out from ““that”” to first ““the”” in line 17 The noble Baroness said: I cannot speak as fast as others in this Chamber, but I shall endeavour to be brief. Amendment No. 327 deals with the provision in Clause 105 whereby, if the Secretary of State thinks that circumstances have changed since the publication of a national policy statement and that the statement should be reviewed, he can direct suspension of examination or decision. The amendment questions whether this is relevant to a change of government, to which my noble friend referred on our last day in Committee. Circumstances that might have changed include a change of government. The Bill should state simply that, "““the Secretary of State thinks that … the statement should be reviewed””." I hope that the Minister can assist me. Amendments Nos. 331 and 332 are to the provision whereby the Secretary of State must have regard to the views of the commission in deciding certain tests for intervention, one of which, in Clause 106(2)(e), is, "““an urgent need in the national interest for the application to be decided before the national policy statement is reviewed””." I question whether the commission should have a role in that. The Government might want to hear the views of the commission, but requiring them in statute to do so—this is probably opposite to the way in which I often argue—gives the commission inappropriate status in the process. I beg to move.