§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many qualified planning officers are650W employed by local government in England; and how many will be required to implement the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill. [166897]
§ Keith HillThe information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost—However, it is believed that just over 6,100 chartered Town Planners are in post. It is for individual local authorities to determine how many qualified planners they require to fulfil their functions, but the Government have provided Planning Delivery Grant worth £350 million during 2003–06 to help implement planning reforms and improve performance.