§ Sir Raymond Gowerasked the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he 433W will take to lessen the time taken for planning inquiries.
§ Mr. Michael RobertsThe time taken at the actual hearings depends on the nature of the case and cannot easily be reduced without risking damage to the interests of the parties.
However, in conjunction with the Secretary of State for the Environment, my right hon. Friend is seeing what can be done to reduce the time taken in arranging inquiries and in reaching decisions.