I refer the hon. Member to the reply recently given to him by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 24 April 2007, Official Report, columns 1073-74.
The time taken to commission gas infrastructure projects following the initial planning application can be affected by a range of factors—including commercial or technical issues which are for developers themselves to resolve.
The Government have implemented measures to avoid unnecessary delays at the planning application stage in dealing with major infrastructure projects under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. These could, depending on individual circumstances, include gas infrastructure projects. Section 44 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 inserted new sections 76A and 76B into the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to allow the Secretary of State to designate a planning application a major infrastructure project if she thinks it is of national or regional importance. If such is done, the application would be processed via special procedures which are aimed at speeding up the decision making process.
The forthcoming Planning White Paper, to be published this spring, will set out proposals for reforming the consent regime for major infrastructure projects, including major energy projects.
Since the beginning of the year, the Department has received a parliamentary question about delays in decision making following planning inquiries for gas storage infrastructure and one about the steps being taken to ensure the timely delivery of gas infrastructure projects.
Delays in decision making in these cases can often be attributed to their extremely unusual, technical and complex nature. But the Government are committed to streamlining and simplifying the regulatory regime for approving infrastructure projects, and proposals for doing so will be contained in the forthcoming Planning White Paper, to be published in the spring.