Part of 4. Questions to the Minister for Housing and Local Government – in the Senedd at 2:19 pm on 24 June 2020.
Well, new regulations came into force in Wales last month in respect of the pre-application consultation for developments of national significance during this pandemic. Although these claim to introduce safeguards to guarantee that the revised process is as inclusive as possible, concern has been raised with me that they will allow applicants to conduct a consultation virtually and that, given both the potential impact of developments of national significance on communities and the need for the public to understand the technical aspects of these, virtual consultations do not constitute a meaningful consultation and breach the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. How, therefore, do you respond to concerns that applicants with previously delayed physical consultations are now announcing virtual remote consultations, avoiding the need for face-to-face interaction, and that this discriminates against older and disabled people who do not have access to the internet, or who may not be competent or confident on the phone?