§ 18. Mr. Clemitsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average length of time taken to decide planning appeals in the case of written and inquiry procedures, respectively; and if he is satisfied that they could not be dealt with more expeditiously.
§ Mr. Guy Barnett23 and 28 weeks where the appeal was transferred to an inspector and 39 and 48 weeks respectively where the appeal was decided by my right hon. Friend. This is a substantial improvement over times achieved in the recent past.