asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will apply the recommendations of the report on the review of highway inquiry procedures where they are appropriate to the conduct of public inquiries held under his direction and especially to cases where he is the confirming and not the acquiring authority.

I have noted with interest the conclusions of my right hon. Friends' report on the review of highway inquiry procedures. I propose to see how these new arrangements work in practice before deciding whether any similar changes to public inquiries held under my direction should be considered.