Planning

Mr. Dai Davies
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how often the expert panels on (a) housing markets and planning, (b) neighbourhoods, cities and regions and (c) housing and communities have met since being established; and whether their advice is made public.

Mr. Dhanda
Each of the expert panels had separate launch events, to which all panel members were invited. However, the primary role of the expert panels is for individual panel members to provide advice on the topics in which they specialise, either through attending relevant policy seminars or through undertaking customised pieces of research in order to meet the Department’s short-term information needs. As such, the panels do not meet formally.

The lead members for each expert panel are developing bespoke websites in order to disseminate the outputs of the respective panels. The membership of the expert panels was provided in response to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 5 February 2008, Official Report, columns 1020-21W.

Mr. Dai Davies
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from (a) the Welsh Assembly Government and (b) the Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the National Assembly for Wales on their involvement in the development of UK-wide planning legislation.

John Healey
We have received a number of representations from the Welsh Assembly Government on their involvement in the development of UK-wide planning legislation. I have received representations about the Planning Bill from the Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the National Assembly of Wales, including a copy of the Committee’s report on the Bill.