§ Mr. ElletsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce the results of the recent review of the Local Authorities (Recovery of Costs for Public Path Orders) Regulations 1993. [23959]
§ Mr. ClappisonWe have accepted the central conclusion of the review into the operation of the Local Authorities (Recovery of Costs for Path Orders) Regulations, which is that the maximum charge for administrative cost does not, in most cases, cover the costs incurred by local authorities.
We therefore intend to amend the regulations to remove the current, £400, ceiling. Instead, local authorities will be required to draw up scales of charges, indicating the likely costs for unopposed orders and the maximum cost which they would charge.
This change will be implemented by amending regulations, which we hope to have in place by the summer.