Offshore Wind Projects
- This statement concerns the application made by Orsted Hornsea Project Three (UK) Ltd for development consent for the installation, operation and maintenance of the proposed Hornsea Project Three offshore wind farm, its related offshore infrastructure off the coast of Norfolk and its related onshore electrical connections within that county.Under section 107(1) of the Planning Act 2008, the Secretary of State must make a decision on an application within three months of the receipt of the examining authority’s report unless exercising the power under section 107(3) of the Act to set a new deadline. Where a new deadline is set, the Secretary of State must make a statement to Parliament to announce it. The statutory decision deadline for Hornsea Project Three offshore wind farm was reset previously to allow for further consideration of environmental issues. The latest deadline for the application was 1 July 2020.On 1 July 2020, the Secretary of State issued a letter stating that he was minded to grant consent to the Hornsea Project Three offshore wind farm but that he required further information in respect of potential adverse environmental effects on the Flamborough and Filey coast special protection area. In order to provide Orsted Hornsea Project Three (UK) Ltd with sufficient time to provide that information and for other interested parties to comment, he has decided to set a new deadline of 31 December 2020.The decision to set the new deadline for this application is without prejudice to the decisions on whether to grant or refuse development consents for them.[HCWS414]
Beneficial Owners of Overseas Entities
- My right hon. friend the Under-Secretary of State, Minister for Climate Change and Corporate Responsibility (Lord Duncan), has today made the following statement:The United Kingdom has a reputation as a good place to do business. Our high corporate standards and market transparency give people trust and confidence in our markets. We recognise that knowing whom you are really doing business with improves confidence in commerce and investment and we continue to work on improvements to the strong systems that we already have in place.However, the same factors that make the UK an attractive location to set up and operate a business also make it attractive to exploitation. One such area of exploitation is the UK’s property market, which continues to be an attractive vehicle for criminal investment, in particular for high-end money laundering. The risks relating to the laundering of dirty money through property are most acute where property is owned anonymously through corporate structures or trusts. The Government are therefore working to crack down on this illicit activity by creating a register of the beneficial owners of overseas entities which own or buy property in the UK.The Government committed in primary legislation, through section 50 of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, to report to Parliament annually on the progress that has been made towards putting in place such a register. The register is included as one of the key measures of the UK’s “Economic Crime Plan 2019-22”1, and the December 2019 Queen’s Speech included a commitment to progress the required legislation.
Government Chemist Review
- The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Amanda Solloway)The twenty-third annual review of the Government Chemist has been received. The review will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses plus those of the devolved Administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland. The review will also be laid before the Scottish Parliament.The Government Chemist is the referee analyst named in Acts of Parliament. The Government Chemist’s team carry out analysis in high-profile or legally disputed cases. A diverse range of referee analysis work was carried out during 2019, such as mycotoxin contaminants, pesticides residues, food contact materials, choking hazards, food allergens and genetically modified organisms dispute cases. The Government Chemist function continues to make headway on evaluating and optimising digital PCR for food authenticity testing.[HCWS415]