Oral Answers to Questions

Kerry McCarthy Excerpts

Monday 31st October 2011 Commons Chamber

[Grant Shapps]

I have no doubt that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will enjoy that visit enormously, especially if good food is on offer. My hon. Friend is on to something here: public sector assets are worth £385 billion, and two thirds of them are council-owned. If a saving of just 20% in running costs were made, that could save about £35 billion a year in receipts over 10 years. There is an enormous amount of money to be saved, therefore, and I commend the work that has been done.[Official Report, 21 November 2011, Vol. 536, c. 2MC.]

[Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab)]

10. What recent representations he has received from environmental organisations on the national planning policy framework.

[The Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Greg Clark)]

I have received several representations from environmental organisations on the draft national planning policy framework, and we are now considering our response to them.

[Kerry McCarthy]

That was a short, and not particularly sweet, reply. As I am sure the Minister knows, the wildlife trusts are calling for local wildlife sites and nature improvement areas to be included in the national planning framework, in order to protect wildlife against developers and to give councils more strategic guidance on improving local ecological networks. Will the Minister explain why such locations are not included in the framework?

[Greg Clark]

I have been having some very constructive discussions with the wildlife trusts, in which they have made precisely that point. The hon. Lady will understand that I cannot pre-empt the outcome of the consultation, but I can say that we have heard their perfectly reasonable representations and have listened very carefully.