asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the decision to open a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth will be accompanied by a decision to begin work on a carbon capture and storage demonstration plant in Britain. [HL5342]

A decision on the Kingsnorth application will not be taken until the Government have considered the responses to the recent consultation on carbon capture readiness. The decision on who wins the carbon capture demonstration competition is a separate one to any decision on a planning application.