Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman): Lab

The next item of business is a statement by Malcolm Chisholm on the white paper "modernising the planning system". The minister will take questions at the en...

The Minister for Communities (Malcolm Chisholm): Lab

I am pleased to announce the publication today of the Executive's white paper "modernising the planning system", which follows a series of consultations and ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer: Lab

The minister will now take questions on the issues that he has raised in his statement. I will allow around 20 minutes for questions before lunch time. Howev...

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): SNP

I thank the minister for the advance copies of his statement and the white paper. The difficulty in reading the white paper during the debate on the Housing ...

Malcolm Chisholm: Lab

I welcome Christine Grahame's acknowledgement of the progress that we have made on development plans.In my statement, I emphasised that national developments...

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): Con

On behalf of the Conservative party, I welcome the Executive's rejection of the third-party right of appeal. The minister has said that local people will hav...

Malcolm Chisholm: Lab

The white paper is not the only document that is relevant to planning. A revised national renewable energy planning policy statement will be issued soon, whi...

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): LD

I ask the minister to help members in their study of the white paper by answering two questions. First, which aspects of the white paper does he consider wil...

Malcolm Chisholm: Lab

As I have said, I believe that revitalising development plans will be the best way in which to maximise local people's opportunities to feed in their views a...

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): Lab

I welcome the minister's commitments on the national planning framework being subject to consultation and strategic environmental assessment, and on the stat...

Malcolm Chisholm: Lab

I thank Sarah Boyack for her comments. I am pleased by her support for the requirement for up-to-date development plans. I will certainly be pleased to debat...

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): SNP

The minister mentioned a series of consultations, said that he wants to reform and not tinker, and said that he wants to listen to what local people have to ...

Malcolm Chisholm: Lab

There are different views on the third-party right of appeal among the public, in the Scottish National Party and, I do not doubt, in other parties. I have g...

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): Lab

If the success of the reforms is to rest on regularly updated development plans, what reassurances will the minister give to my constituents that action will...

Malcolm Chisholm: Lab

I will deal with those points in reverse order. I agree with what Karen Whitefield said about cumulative effect, which she has talked to me about before. The...

Mr Jim Wallace (Orkney) (LD): LD

I welcome the minister's statement. Taken as a whole, although the package goes a long way to creating a more efficient planning system and ensuring more eff...

Malcolm Chisholm: Lab

I have a sense of déjà vu. I have not had a question from the back benches from Jim Wallace since 1997. I welcome him to his new position and thank him for t...

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab

Unfortunately, as a back bencher, I did not get sight of the white paper before the minister's statement to Parliament, but it appears from the statement tha...

The Deputy Presiding Officer: Lab

Will you ask a question, please?

Cathie Craigie: Lab

I do not believe that it would be right to add a third-party right of appeal on to the existing system. How will the minister ensure that communities can eng...

Malcolm Chisholm: Lab

I am pleased to be untying local authorities' hands, which I am sure they will welcome.I welcome the fact that Cathie Craigie has again homed in on public en...

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): Con

From an economic perspective, the Executive's proposals for widespread reform rather than tinkering with the current system are very welcome as is the reject...

Malcolm Chisholm: Lab

One of the problems that I described at the beginning of my statement is the way in which all applications tend to be dealt with in a similar way at the mome...

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): SNP

I seek more detail from the minister about the proposals. First, how will they relate to a community such as Greengairs? After the implementation of the refo...

Malcolm Chisholm: Lab

There will certainly be the piece of work on wind farms that I have described. Although that will be a separate Scottish planning policy, some of it will fin...

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): Green

The minister complains that his proposals have been misrepresented, but the description of the proposals as a power grab to the centre seems pretty accurate....

The Deputy Presiding Officer: Lab

Was that your question, Mr Harvie?

Patrick Harvie: Green

At a time when a certain party is considering the prospect of losing control of some local authorities in 2007, those reassurances are extremely important.

Malcolm Chisholm: Lab

The description of the proposals as a"power grab to the centre"is one of the most ridiculous travesties of the truth that I have heard in all the six years o...

Meeting suspended until 14:00.