Written evidence to be reported to the House
Planning Bill
11:00 am
John Cridland: We would oppose that, because we believe that if the duty on sustainability is properly applied, as we would expect it to be, then that situation is unlikely to arise. We have looked carefully at the provisions for ministerial intervention. We can support them as they stand. We think that the case has been made—for the two reasons that you outlined—but we in the business community would be very concerned if that scope was widened, because that would defeat the purpose of the Bill. The job of Ministers, if I might suggest it, is to set policy. Ministers should not then follow through into individual decisions, except on a de minimis basis, as the Bill now proposes.