§ Mr. Lesterasked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what level of seniority the civil servant will be who will chair the county-wide planning conference which, following the proposed abolition of the metropolitan county councils, will replace those councils as a co-ordinating body in the planning field; and if the staff servicing that planning conference will be civil servants or local authority officers.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThe consultation paper on the reallocation of planning functions in the Greater London council and metropolitan county council areas, published in October, suggests that the Department of the Environment will convene, as necessary, conferences of local planning authorities chaired by a representative of the regional office. The details of these arrangements have yet to be finalised and I welcome comments on the proposals.