§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Environment which Minister in his Department has responsibility for countryside conservation matters; whether the same Minister has responsibility for land use, planning control and mineral exploration in the countryside; and what are the reasons for the distribution of responsibilities involved.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinCountryside affairs and conservation matters have been allocated as special responsibilities of my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction. Land use planning, development control and land, and minerals have been allocated to my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Macfarlane), who reports direct to me on these matters. The distribution of these and other responsibilities reflects my judgment of what are suitable 713W blocks of work for my various ministerial colleagues in the Department, all of whom work under my overall direction. I shall keep them under review.