§ Mr. McQuarrieasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will have talks with the regional and district councils in Scotland on the anomalies in the Planning (Scotland) Regulations.
§ Mr. RifkindIf the hon. Member would give examples of such anomalies I shall look into them.
182W
§ Mr. McQuarrieasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will bring forward proposals to amend the planning regulations in respect of the present system in Scotland, where delays of up to six months can take place before an applicant is able to obtain a decision from the appropriate authority.
§ Mr. RifkindThe great majority of applications are dealt with in under two months, but I am considering what can be done to reduce unjustifiable delays. It is, however, open to an applicant to appeal to the Secretary of State if a decision is not made on his application within two months.
§ Mr. McQuarrieasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he proposes to abolish the present planning regulations which permit the calling in of planning applications after they have been approved by the initial authorised authority.
§ Mr. RifkindIt is not possible to call in a planning application once planning permission has been issued. The power of a regional council or my right hon. Friend to call in an application before then is a valuable part of the planning system, but I am considering how to define more closely the circumstances in which it should be used.