To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the words “a county council, or district council, in England” in the draft Infrastructure Planning (National Policy Statement Consultation) Regulations 2009 that are set out in the Consultation on list of statutory consultees for National Policy Statements mean that county councils and district councils will be statutory consultees in two-tier areas. [HL2645]

We intend that county councils and district councils will both be statutory consultees in two-tier areas, given the different roles and responsibilities that both carry.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to add Leaders' Boards, Multi-Agency Agreements and Economic Prosperity Boards to the list of statutory consultees in the draft Infrastructure Planning (National Policy Statement Consultation) Regulations 2009. [HL2646]

Leaders’ boards and economic prosperity boards will not initially be added to the list of statutory consultees in the draft Infrastructure Planning (National Policy Statement Consultation) Regulations 2009 because the orders will be made ahead of the boards’ formal establishment. We will consider whether it is appropriate to add these bodies to the schedule when they are formally established.

Multi-area agreements will not be added to the list of statutory consultees as they are agreements between local authorities to deliver targets and are not bodies with statutory duties or legal status in their own right.