Mr. John DavidTaylor asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if, in view of the delays in planning application decisions arising from the indefinite closedown by the majority of district councils, he will make a statement about alternative procedures to consider and decide upon planning applications.
§ Mr. NeedhamThe Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland is required to consult district councils on all planning applications. This consultation takes the form of a presentation to councils on a regular basis of a schedule of applications received, indicating the preliminary opinion of the Department as to how the application is to be determined. Following established procedure if the Department does not receive the comments of the council within a reasonable period a decision issues in accordance with the preliminary opinion.