§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to ensure that present Government guidance on rural land loss is accurate and up to date.
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answer 24 November 1992]: Current Government guidance on rural land loss is based on the land use change statistics (LUCS) collected for my Department since 1985 by the Ordnance Survey as part of its map revision work. Recent research has confirmed the robustness of the data, particularly for monitoring changes to urban uses. Some time does, however, elapse before changes in land use are recorded in the LUCS series and Ordnance Survey is testing new procedures with the objective of providing consistent information for urban areas within one year of any change occurring. The 1990 countryside survey, which is part-funded by my Department, will provide an independent source of estimates of rural change between 1978, 1984 and 1990, based on sampled data.
Recent research commissioned by my Department has recommended that the need for consistent information across all land uses would be most effectively met by a census approach carried out by Ordnance Survey and continuously updated by a revised system of land use change statistics. The Department is proceeding to develop the methodology and carry out pilot work for this land use stock system.