Chamber and committees

We propose to publish the reportshortly.

The Executive does not set performancetargets directly comparable to those in the question.

There is a statutory duty forplanning applications to be determined in two months from the receipt of a validplanning application (four months where applications require an Environmental Statement).This period can be extended with the agreement of the applicant. Scottish PlanningPolicy (SPP) 1: The Planning System contains (in paragraph 86) the performancetargets which have been set for planning authorities and they are as follows:

80% of planning applicationsshould be determined in two months;

85% of planning applicationsshould be determined in three months;

90% of householder applicationsshould be determined in two months;

95% of householder applicationsshould be determined within three months, and

80% of major applications shouldbe determined within four months.

SPP 1 can be viewed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/planning/spp1-00.asp,and is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 25316).

The Executive has made no suchestimates. In relation to the issue of water infrastructure constraints, ScottishWater has been actively engaged with all Scottish local authorities for someconsiderable time and there is now a detailed understanding of the extent,location and estimated costs of resolving current and known planneddevelopments throughout Scotland.

In this respect, I wouldalso refer the member to the answers given to S2W-3242 on 4 November 2003, S2W-4418on 9 December 2003, S2W-4935 on 7 January 2004,and S2O-1107 on 22 January 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

In terms of improvement, theposition is that in the current investment programme which ends in March 2006,the removal of development constraints was not identified as a specificproblem. The current £1.8 billion programme is the biggest ever investment inthe Scottish water industry, but it has been aimed at meeting the legislativerequirements associated with the quality of drinking water, environmentalimprovements, and to bring about improvements in customer services.

However, the Executive,Scottish Water and the environmental and economic regulators are all addressingthis issue, which is also being specifically addressed by the Quality andStandards III process which is considering Scottish Water’s next investmentprogramme running from April 2006 until March 2014. This process will be thesubject of an extensive public consultation exercise in the summer.

Meantime, around £200 millionworth of the planned investment in the current programme will provide positivebenefits to current constraints through the provision of additional capacity. Whatthis means is that while the investment is not specifically aimed at dealingwith development constraints, a beneficial effect of that investment will bethe freeing up of existing capacity to allow further development.

Additionally, a further £41 millionwas specifically identified for enhancements to help ease such constraints inrural areas and for first time connections. An announcement is expected thismonth about allocation of most of this funding.

The Executive is currently takingforward a programme to modernise the development planning system. In the Reviewof Strategic Planning, Next Steps and Conclusions (June 2002) ministersagreed that structure plans were not required across the country and that newcity region plans would be prepared for only the four largest cities – Aberdeen,Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

A further consultation isexpected shortly which will take forward the proposals and set out the detailedarrangements for the new city region plans, including proposals to increase thespeed and transparency of the approval process.

No research has specificallyaddressed this matter, but aspects of land availability for commercialdevelopment have been examined in recent studies published by the Scottish Executive. These include Land Values and the Implications for Planning Policy”and “Obsolete Commercial and Industrial Property. Copies of thesereports are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. numbers 25309and 31964 respectively).

The Review of the WestEdinburgh Planning Framework arises from the UK Government White Paper TheFuture of Air Transport, and is necessary to accommodate the land use andtransport planning issues consequent on the policy for the growth of Edinburgh Airport. Itwill safeguard land for the development of the airport; help facilitate therelocation of the Royal Highland Centre; and incorporate new rail, tram androad links to improve access and thereby assist development. It will alsoidentify the opportunities once the crosswind runway is no longer operationalfor development in that area and intensification of development in Edinburgh Park.

Today I have launched aconsultation on the future of the age and stage regulations which seeks viewsfrom stakeholders as to whether there should be additional flexibility overwhen young people can receive certification for National Units and be presentedfor exams managed by the Scottish Qualification Authority.

We have been liaising closelywith the Barker Review team and we will consider the conclusions of the reviewafter the final report has been published and we have had an opportunity toconsider their implications for Scotland.

The Scottish Executive publishesaverage prices for dwellings in the Statistical Bulletin (Housing Series),based on the survey of mortgage lenders conducted by the Office of the DeputyPrime Minister. The Registers of Scotland publish quarterly data on averageresidential property prices for the whole of Scotland and for seven areasacross Scotland. Other organisations including Lloyds-TSB, HalifaxBank of Scotland, Nationwide and the Council of Mortgage Lenderscollect and publish information on movements in house prices.

As regards theresponsiveness of supply to changes in prices the interim Barker Reviewcontained analysis of how prices might change in response to a change insupply. No specific analysis is available for Scotland.

The Review of Housing Supply concluded at Great Britain level that the availability of land and the planning system are amongst the factors which affect housing supply.

The land use planning system has an important role in enabling development to take place and guiding that development to the most suitable locations. The Executive’s planning policy on new housing is set out in Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 3: Planning for Housing (published in March 2003). SPP 3 states that planning authorities should ensure that the housing land requirement for each housing market area is provided in full.

The interim report of theBarker Review contains an analysis of how an increase in house-building mightlead to a zero real rate of house price growth. This is one of several optionsin the interim report for considering housing supply levels, each of which isto be considered with considerable caution for the reasons given in the interimreport. The analysis relates to Great Britain as a whole and the detailedunderpinning work has not yet been published. It is not possible on presentinformation to say whether the conclusions of the analysis could be applied to Scotland.

We have been liaisingclosely with the Barker Review team and we will consider the conclusions of thereview after the final report has been published and we have had an opportunityto consider their implications for Scotland.