Member

Amendment 99 seeks to introduce an optional fee-paid fast-track public inquiry appeal service. The noble Lord, as ever, makes a powerful case for this, and I know he has done so over a period of time. We appreciate the intention to offer greater choice to appellants. However, we believe it is right that the Planning Inspectorate, not the appellant, determines the most appropriate procedure for each case based on its complexity and the issues involved. Allowing well-resourced appellants to pay for a bespoke, faster route risks introducing unfairness. I think that the issues raised by the noble Baroness, Lady Thornhill, about SMEs might be relevant here. Furthermore, increasing the volume of public inquiries could place considerable strain on the capacity of the Planning Inspectorate and local authorities. The Planning Inspectorate is focused on improving the timeliness of decisions. Its strategic plan sets out a clear commitment to eliminate casework backlogs and meet all ministerial targets by 2027. Considerable progress is already being made, supported by investment in digital services, and we are forging ahead now with digital planning—I have a great team in the department who are working on this—and the recruitment of additional inspectors. New regulations will be introduced later this year to enable more planning appeals to be handled through a faster, simplified procedure; they will allow the inspectorate to focus its resources where they are most needed on the most complex cases.