§ Mr. Forresterasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average length of time for a decision on clearance area compulsory purchase orders in the West Midlands region.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergIn 1980, the average length of time for a decision on clearance CPOs in the West Midlands region, was, for those orders which went to public local inquiry, 36 weeks, and, for unopposed orders, seven weeks. During the first six months of 1981, average handling times have been reduced to 27 weeks and four weeks respectively. The proportion of opposed to unopposed orders is roughly 6:4.