§ Mr. Gregor Mackenzieasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action is being taken to speed up the approval of school building plans submitted to his Department by local authorities.
§ Mr. RossThe requisite approval covers not only the plans but also planning clearance and costs. I am anxious to speed up the approval stages as much as possible. For a wide range of smaller projects the formal approval of sketch plans is being discontinued, and the procedures generally are being94W kept under regular review. Preliminary informal discussion of technical problems between the education authorities and my Department, which can do much to avoid delays at the stage of formal approval, will be encouraged. Longer-term programming is making it possible to concentrate attention on those projects which are in an authority's programme to start in the next two or three years.