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| MPs attack planning law shake-up | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Plans to streamline planning decisions on big projects like airports have been attacked on all sides of the Commons. | |
| Paul Truswell warned of a "tremendous amount of concern" among Labour MPs over plans to hand decisions on major projects to an independent commission. | |
| Tory MP John Redwood said it would be an "unelected quango" and said the time given to debate it was a "travesty". | |
| Local government minister John Healey said two full days had been allocated to discuss the planning bill. | |
| MPs are debating the Planning Bill, which largely applies only to planning laws in England. It includes a measure to take away ministers' and councils' planning powers over major projects like new airports and power stations. | |
| 'Unelected quango' | 'Unelected quango' |
| Instead an Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) would take decisions on major infrastructure - the government hopes it will speed up approvals for big projects. | |
| More than 60 Labour MPs signed a motion opposing the IPC and on Monday Mr Truswell said there was a "tremendous amount of concern" among backbench Labour MPs about "key aspects of this particular Bill" including the planning commission. | |
| This is setting up an unelected quango to make extremely important decisions John Redwood | |
| He also said he was concerned that debate on sensitive issues like the planning commission were being "compressed into a two hour period next Monday night". | |
| The amount of time set aside for debate also prompted anger among Conservative MPs. | |
| Patrick McCormack called it "an emasculation" of the Commons and Jacqui Lait said Labour MPs' concern had forced the government to move the debate to a "graveyard slot". | |
| 'Absolutely atrocious' | |
| Mr Redwood added: "This is setting up an unelected quango to make extremely important decisions where I, and many of my constituents, believe there should be a stronger democratic input." | |
| He added: "It's a travesty of democracy that we should be expected to have allocated time on a range of very sensitive and constitutional matters". | He added: "It's a travesty of democracy that we should be expected to have allocated time on a range of very sensitive and constitutional matters". |
| The government was accused of bringing forward a bill that was "barely recognisable" from that discussed at the earlier committee stage - because of the large amount of amendments made. | The government was accused of bringing forward a bill that was "barely recognisable" from that discussed at the earlier committee stage - because of the large amount of amendments made. |
| Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llywd said it was "absolutely atrocious" that 110 amendments were being "pushed through". | |
| Minister John Healey agreed it was a wide ranging and important bill - but said that was why the government had allocated two full days for the report stage. | Minister John Healey agreed it was a wide ranging and important bill - but said that was why the government had allocated two full days for the report stage. |
| He told MPs he had reflected on a number of issues raised by the committee and then brought forward amendments - many of which he described as "technical". | He told MPs he had reflected on a number of issues raised by the committee and then brought forward amendments - many of which he described as "technical". |
| "I have taken a judgement in allocating the time, in making sure as much time as possible for those areas likely to be of the most interest." | "I have taken a judgement in allocating the time, in making sure as much time as possible for those areas likely to be of the most interest." |
| More than 60 Labour MPs signed a motion opposing plans for an independent commission to decide on big projects like airports and power stations. | More than 60 Labour MPs signed a motion opposing plans for an independent commission to decide on big projects like airports and power stations. |
| The proposed Infrastructure Planning Commission is included in the Planning Bill, introduced last November. | The proposed Infrastructure Planning Commission is included in the Planning Bill, introduced last November. |