§ Baroness Nicolasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any plans to change the status of the Planning Inspectorate. [HL4309]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty)On 30 March 2000, my honourable friend the Minister for Housing, Planning and Construction, announced that the Planning Inspectorate was to be reviewed. In accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, the review is being conducted in two stages. It is being undertaken jointly by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and the National Assembly for Wales, with the assistance of a steering group including representatives from Cabinet Office, Treasury and external bodies.
The report of stage one, which considered organisational options, is being published today. It recommends that the Planning Inspectorate should remain as an executive agency. We have accepted this recommendation.
The department and the National Assembly for Wales will now conduct stage two of the review, which will examine how the performance of the Planning Inspectorate could be improved.
Copies of the review report are being placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
We have also today issued a response to the thirteenth report by the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee: The Planning Inspectorate and Public Inquiries (Cm 4891).