§ Mr. SnapeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the average period of time taken by his Department to process applications for orders under the Transport and Works Act 1992 following submission of an Inspector's report. [87581]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonFor those Transport and Works Act applications that have been decided following a public inquiry, the average time taken from receipt of the Inspector's report to decision has been 11 months.
§ Mr. SnapeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on how many occasions applications for orders under the Transport and Works Act 1992 have been opened up to further consultation with objectors following an interim decision letter from him. [87580]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonThree Transport and Works Act applications have been subject to further consultation following an interim letter from the Secretary of State. These cases related to the East London Line extension; the proposed international station at Sratford on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link; and the Welsh Highland Railway.
§ Mr. SnapeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to review the working of the Transport and Works Act 1992. [87579]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonThe operation of the Transport and Works Act 1992 is constantly kept under review. Although we have no immediate plans to amend the Act itself, we do intend shortly to revise the Rules governing the procedures for dealing with applications for orders under Part I of the Act. The new Rules will implement the revised EC Directive on environmental impact assessments and will make a number of improvements based on experience of operating the existing Rules.