§ 2. Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what increases in population in the Home Counties he took into account when approving the structure plans for the local authorities in the Home Counties.
§ Mr. Giles ShawMy right hon. Friend took account of a wide range of information, including population increases. Each structure plan is based on population forecasts for its own individual area. As the projections relate to different time periods, it is not meaningful to give an aggregated figure for population increase for an area as large as the Home Counties.
§ Mr. McNair-WilsonTo what extent can population forecasts be described as accurate? If my hon. Friend believes that local authorities are providing accurate forecasts for the populations in their areas, may I ask whether he agrees that they should be considered to have the last word, except in the most exceptional circumstances?
§ Mr. ShawI cannot claim that population forecasts at any given moment have a high degree of accuracy. A structure plan has to take account of trends that put pressure on a county's resources. The county is obliged to take account of trends towards house building or the desire to live in certain areas when preparing provisions for the use of land.