§ Lord AVEBURYasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which divisions of which Departments, are responsible for the land use consequences of transport strategies.
§ Baroness BIRKThe primary ministerial responsibility in England lies with my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, by reason of his functions in respect of land use generally. He works in collaboration with my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport, who is responsible for transport policy. Local authorities also have important functions in relation to transport and land use.
Both Departments work jointly in the ways set out in Circular 100/76 (DOE) and 1/76 (DTp), of which I am sending a copy to the noble Lord. In particular they share 841WA common regional offices which combine transport, planning, housing and other related functions; and many divisions in both Departments are concerned with the matters to which the Question refers. They also work with other Departments, notably the Department of Trade, who are concerned with aspects of transport and their land use consequences.
In Scotland and Wales, the respective Secretaries of State are responsible for land use, roads and local transport and work as appropriate with my right honourable friends the Secretaries of State for Transport and Trade. There are well-established arrangements for collaborative working between the several divisions of the Scottish Development Department and of the Welsh Office which are concerned with land use and transport.