§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to appoint a commission to examine town planning laws. [64434]
§ Mr. RaynsfordWe have no plans to establish such a commission. Our policy statement, "Modernising Planning", published in January, set out a series of proposals for improving the responsiveness and efficiency of the planning system. During this year, we have announced new proposals for a stronger regional planning framework, improved arrangements for delivering development plans and better procedures for handling appeals. As part of this initiative, we will be putting forward further detailed suggestions for improving the planning system during 1999.