To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008, Official Report, column 1632W, on nuclear power stations: construction, how much funding will be provided to enable hard to reach groups to participate in a public inquiry into an application to build a nuclear power plant; what criteria will be used to assess eligibility for such funding; and what is the maximum value of funding which will be available for any individual inquiry. (183065)

The Government fund Planning Aid which provides independent, free advice to hard to reach groups in order to help them to participate in the planning system. For 2007-08 the grant is 31.7 million. The Planning White Paper referred to increasing grant funding for bodies such as Planning Aid to ensure that members of the public get the advice and support they need to get involved in planning inquiries on major infrastructure projects. No decisions have been taken on future levels of funding for Planning Aid.