§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the national enveloping scheme announced on 1 December 1982 as being available to all local authorities remains Government policy.
§ Sir George YoungYes.
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied that applications to carry out housing envelope schemes are approved swiftly; whether he is satisfied that the procedures for approval are being kept to a minimum; whether he will reduce the paperwork imposed on councils anxious to expedite the work on site, in order to reduce the ultimate cost; and what has been the average length of time between initial application and ministerial approval in schemes undertaken so far.
§ Sir George YoungMy right hon. Friend and I are reviewing the procedures for enveloping scheme approvals with a view to simplifying them while continuing to ensure that schemes approved for Exchequer support represent value for money. The average length of time for scheme approval following initial application has been 20 weeks. An important factor in these delays has been the need for the Department to seek further information from the local authorities concerned in order to permit proper assessment of their proposals.