§ Angela SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the House of Lords' judgment in the recent cases involving planning and human rights. [161064]
§ Mr. RaynsfordWe welcome this judgment. These cases, involving the ability of the Secretary of State to make decisions on planning schemes, are of great importance to the planning system and have wide implications. The House of Lords today unanimously upheld the Secretary of State's role under the planning Acts and have found no breach of article 6 of the european convention on human rights. They found that there is no incompatibility between the Secretary of State being responsible for formulating planning policy as well as for taking decisions in individual cases. He is democratically accountable to Parliament and, through the process of judicial review, to the courts. They found that article 6 is satisfied. Planning cases in the pipeline will continue to be handled in the normal way.
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