§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action, if any, they propose to take following the report by Mr. John Newman on the functioning of the ecclesiastical exemption from the application of planning law. [HL662]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyThe Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Welsh Office have174WA now completed a programme of discussions with denominations and other organisations to consider the recommendations in Mr. John Newman's review of the exemption. My honourable friend the Minister for the Arts is today placing in the Libraries of both Houses a document which gives details of the changes in denominations' procedures agreed in the course of the discussions. Copies will be circulated to interested bodies.
Against this background, the Government are satisfied that the six denominations which currently enjoy the ecclesiastical exemption should retain it for the time being. This includes the Baptist Union, which Mr. Newman recommended should be the subject of a further review after a year and whose internal procedures have therefore been re-examined by the two departments. We would envisage a further review of the exemption regime as a whole during the life of the current Parliament. Meanwhile we look to the denominations to keep up the momentum of change as required and expect to see substantive progress in all areas where the need for further work has been identified.