§ Mr. TrimbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the target date is for the implementation of the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan; and if he will make a statement. [168215]
§ Angela SmithThe publication date for the Plan has not yet been finalised. Work on the Draft Plan is now well advanced. If the Draft Plan passes through its final stages within the normal time scale, the target for publication is late autumn.
These final stages include:
Clearance by other Government Departments; andAssessment by the Department of Regional Development for "conformity with the Regional Development Strategy".