§ Mr. PearsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the findings of the McKinsey report, Driving Productivity and Growth in the UK Economy, regarding land use and planning regulations; and if he will make a statement. [62251]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe McKinsey Report helpfully highlighted the productivity gap which exists between the UK and our competitors.
Last week, my Department published a report, "The Economic Consequences of Planning to the Business Sector", which concluded that businesses see planning as an accepted part of their environment and are looking for improvements but not radical change. We have taken many positive steps through our Modernising Planning initiative to streamline and improve the efficiency of the planning system. We will also be looking in more detail at the issues surrounding one particular part of the business sector, high technology growth industries.