§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr. Tony McNulty)With the agreement of the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Transport I wish to make an announcement concerning the Lord Chancellor's Panel of Independent Inspectors. This follows informal consultations with relevant parties. From today I have asked the Planning Inspectorate Executive Agency to take on full responsibility for arranging for suitable Inspectors to carry out public inquiries into proposed road schemes.
The Lord Chancellor has nominated Inspectors for road scheme inquiries since acceptance of a recommendation in the 1978 White Paper on the handling of the 1970s roads programme. The Planning Inspectorate was established as an executive agency in 1992, bringing with it the high standards of impartiality, openness, and fairness that are a hallmark of the work of the Inspectors.
60WSThe Planning Inspectorate has established a deserved reputation for the independent and impartial way it conducts inquiries. That is rightly regarded as key to the process of public participation at inquiry stage which the Government recognise s and values. I therefore have every confidence in asking the Agency to take on the task of arranging for suitable Inspectors to carry out road inquiries. And that confidence will, I know, be shared by all holding an informed view of the process.
The Planning Inspectorate places great importance on employing Inspectors with an appropriate range of technical skills. Over the last few years it has recruited as Inspectors a number of highly qualified and experienced men and women. Their expertise now covers a wide area including planning, the environment, architecture, engineering, housing and transport issues. Such high quality recruitment is a continuing feature of the Agency's profile.
This change will provide greater flexibility for the Planning Inspectorate to manage resources more effectively, enabling it to deliver an enhanced service, whilst maintaining and improving quality.