§ Mr. Roweasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average length of time now taken by his Department (a) between the lodging and the hearing of planning appeals and (b) between the hearing and the decision.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneStatistics of the average times taken for planning appeals are not kept; instead, median times are used. The median times for Secretary of State inquiries during October 1984 were 27 weeks from receipt to inquiry and approximately 18 weeks from inquiry to decision. For inspectors inquiries, the median was 22 weeks from receipt to Inquiry and five weeks from Inquiry to decision; and for inspectors informal hearings, 20 weeks from start to hearing and four weeks from hearing to decision. Only 16 per cent. of appeals are now dealt with by inquiries; the remainder are dealt with by written representations, which on the whole is a faster procedure.