The government has reiterated its commitment to establish the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) via primary legislation following a public consultation.
The consultation lasted from January to March and the news comes the day after the Queen’s Speech, in which she revealed the government would introduce a bill in this Parliament to establish the NIC on a statutory basis.
The response document of the consultation states it will be mandatory for the government to respond to all recommendations from the commission.
The NIC was established by chancellor George Osborne last year to provide the Treasury with advice on national priorities, independent of party politics. The plan was always to introduce legislation at the earliest opportunity to enshrine its role.
The commission, which has been operating in interim form since October 2015, has begun work on a National Infrastructure Assessment, which will set out its analysis of infrastructure needs over a 10- to 30-year period and set out an overarching, long-term vision.
The commission is also currently undertaking studies on two main infrastructure challenges:
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how the UK can become a world leader in 5G deployment, and how it can take early advantage of the potential benefits of 5G services;
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how to unlock growth, housing and jobs in the Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford corridor.
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