§ Sir Nicholas LyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent percentage increases there have been in the daily rates charged for planning inspectors conducting inquiries into local plans and other planning inquiries; and if he will make a statement. [61188]
§ Mr. RaynsfordI have asked the Planning Inspectorate's Chief Executive, Mr. Chris Shepley, to write to the right hon. and learned Member.
Letter from David Hanchet to Sir Nicholas Lyell, dated 1 December 1998:
The Secretary of State has asked Chris Shepley to reply to your Question about the daily rates charged for Planning Inspectors. I am replying in his absence today on official business.
The Planning Inspectorate makes charges for two categories of inquiry held by our Inspectors. The fee for conducting local plan inquiries was set at £340 per day in February 1996, and the fee for conducting other planning inquiries under various items of legislation was set at £350 per day in October 1994.
A review of the fees has shown that under our previous methodology the full costs of the service were not being recovered. As a result, new fees of £430 per day for local plan inquiries and £492 for the other recoverable inquiries are now planned (increases of 26.5% and 40.6% respectively).
Although these are significant it is important to remember that
- a. the service was effectively being subsided in the past;
- b. there have been no increases for nearly 3 years in one case and over 4 in the other;
- c. although the daily rate has increased, the service provided has become steadily more efficient through a variety of management measures taken by the Planning Inspectorate. As a result, the actual duration of inquiries, and therefore the number of chargeable days, has reduced.