§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement outlining the Government's response to the recommendations on planning policy contained in the CBI report "Shaping the Nation".
§ Mr. BaldryThe Government's response to this report was set out in the speech my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment gave at the CBI's national conference on 9 November 1992. In that speech, he welcomed the CBI's report and endorsed most of its recommendations. In particular, he welcomed the recommendations on the need for business and local planning authorities to work more closely together, on the importance of a strategic approach based on regional planning guidance and flexible development plans, and on the need for local authorities to set out clear statements of the service they propose to offer to their customers. He indicated that the Government could not agree to the proposal for an annual policy paper with a five-year forward core funding commitment on infrastructure expenditure. A copy of the speech is available in the Library of the House.