§ Mr. J. Morrisonasked the Minister of Fuel and Power with what other Government Departments he consults before giving permission for poles to be erected to carry a supply of electricity to a farm and what is the average time taken to decide on any such application.
§ Mr. P. Noel-BakerBefore I consent to electric lines above ground, except in built areas, I normally consult the Air Ministry and the Admiralty and the Ministry of Works (Ancient Monuments Board). In addition, the local planning authority must consult any interested persons or bodies, including the regional offices of Government Departments where necessary. The average time taken by my Department to deal with applications is three to four weeks, but the time taken may be considerably more in those cases 179W where the local authority or the planning following percentages of allocations to authority raise objections, and exercise all distributors: