HC Deb 03 March 1997 vol 291 c469W
Mr. Sweeney

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what performance targets he has set for the Planning Inspectorate Agency's work in Wales for the financial year 1997–98. [18600]

Mr. Gwilym Jones

The key objectives for the agency in 1997–98 continue to be to preserve the impartiality and quality of the inspectorate's work while seeing further to improve its efficiency. I have set the following key targets for the agency's work in Wales:

Timeliness

  1. (a) Eighty per cent.of all planning appeals decided by written representations to be determined within 17 weeks;
  2. (b) Eighty per cent. of all planning appeals decided by hearings to be determined within 22 weeks;
  3. (c) Eighty per cent. of all planning appeals decided by inquiries to be determined within 30 weeks;
  4. (d) To provide an inspector for local plan inquiries on request within 26 weeks of the end of the objection period and to deliver 90 per cent. of inspector's reports to local authorities by the dates agreed in service agreements.

Financial

  1. (a) Unit costs of planning appeals decided by written representations not to exceed the target to be set for the Inspectorate by the Department of the Environment;
  2. (b) Recover 90 per cent. of receipts due within eight weeks of the invoice date.

Efficiency Contribute to the generation of an efficiency improvement in the Agency's use of running costs compared with 1996–97, in accordance with the target to be set for the inspectorate by the Department of the Environment.

Quality To satisfy the advisory panel on standards and thus the Secretary of State, annually and following rigorous monitoring, that the quality of the Inspectorate's work is being maintained at a high standard with 99 per cent. of its case work, free from error.

Welsh Language To respond in Welsh to all inquiries, written or oral, received in Welsh within the same time scales as allowed for responding to inquiries generally.