Clause 54 - Wales Spatial Plan
Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill
4:45 pm
Mr Don Touhig (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Welsh Office; Islwyn, Labour/Co-operative)
I take the hon. Gentleman's point, but I thought that I had explained that the Bill contains provisions that will allow the widest possible consultation on cross-border issues that arise during the development of the Welsh spatial plan.
There is no need to follow the line that the hon. Gentleman advocated earlier. In Wales, we have a unitary system of local government. It works quite in harmony with the Welsh Assembly. The Assembly will work closely with local government and other interested parties to prepare the spatial plan. It will look to local government to put the plan into effect and to ensure that it is properly consulted on, discussed and approved.
The Assembly, in its plenary sessions or through its Committee structures, will undertake the role of scrutiny. In many respects, that will be similar to the processes that Parliament undertakes. If they wish me to, I will happily write to hon. Members to set out the Assembly's procedures for public consultation on any steps that it plans to take.