To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that all local authorities meet the national target of dealing with 80% of all planning applications within two months.

Ministers attach considerable importance to the performance of planning authorities in processing planning applications and are keen to see performance match the Executive’s targets in this regard. To that end, the Executive carries out a rolling programme of planning audits of the development control and development planning procedures of planning authorities. The audits aim to identify strengths and weaknesses in the procedures of each planning authority, promote good practice and help authorities improve upon their levels of performance. An annual audit report is published containing statistics on performance with a short commentary, and is available on the internet ( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/Planning/audit.aspx ).