§ 6. Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales which planning policy guidances operative in England he intends to extend to Wales.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Gwilym Jones)sMy right hon. Friend will shortly issue for consultation draft planning guidance covering PPGs 9, 13, 15, 23 and 24.
§ Mr. WardellI am delighted to hear that news. In England, the Department of the Environment issued PPG 13, which was a major step forward in strategic planning, in March 1994, but a vacuum has been created in Wales by the Welsh Office? Unless those PPGs are introduced quickly, the people of Wales will have every right to suspect that the Welsh Office is in danger of becoming a second-rate Department.
Mr. JonesI am grateful for the hon. Gentleman's welcome, although my announcement is not new. It is common knowledge that, on a point of principle, we should reflect carefully on anything issued by the Department of the Environment before deciding what guidance to issue in Wales. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman does not agree that we should merely replicate every measure taken by the Department of the Environment. I do not know of any evidence to suggest that any Welsh interest has been disadvantaged.
§ Mr. Win GriffithsWhy has PPG 9, which was issued in England in October 1994 in time to comply with the European Union habitats directive, resulted in estuaries such as the Rivers Dee and Severn enjoying one mode of protection on the English side of the boundary and different, outmoded protection on the Welsh side? Why is the Welsh Office in effect acting illegally, in failing to apply planning guidance on the EU habitats directive? Is 651 it because of the Secretary of State's well-known antipathy to Europe, regulation and the protection of the environment?
Mr. JonesI certainly do not accept the hon. Gentleman's wild claims. We have been carefully considering the matter, and draft guidance will be issued shortly.