§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he has made in considering alternatives to the rating system.
§ Mr. KingI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on Tuesday 3 June to my hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch and Lymington (Mr. Adley).—(Vol. 985, c. 672.]
310WMy right hon. Friend strongly supports the principle of environmental assessment but he doubts whether it is an appropriate matter for statutory regulation in view of the varying scale, nature and circumstances of projects and the need for more flexibility and speed in decision making.