§ Mr. Giles Shawasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the nature, scope and cost of the research into consultation procedures for road planning inquiries being conducted on behalf of his Department by Mr. Peter Springer of the University of Surrey.
§ Dr. GilbertThe University of Surrey is carrying out two studies, one to determine the part played by pressure groups in public participation, the other to evaluate methods of communicating information on road proposals to the public. The estimated overall cost of the first is £16,000 and of the second £40,000. The work was commissioned by the Department as part of a general programme of research into the effectiveness of current public participation procedures. Formal public inquiry procedures fall outside the scope of this research.