Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Grant Shapps and Laurence Robertson

Monday 17th January 2011 Commons Chamber

[Grant Shapps]

I am grateful to the shadow Minister for pointing out that I have now been in the post for eight months, because that happens to be exactly the time for which my four predecessors, including the current shadow Secretary of State, stayed in office.

House building had fallen to 1923 levels under the previous Government, with their top-down planning and regional spatial strategies. I am confident that the fact that we have scrapped that structure and introduced the new homes bonus, which, as we have heard today, is about to start paying out significant sums, will reverse the fall in house building and affordable house building that we so tragically saw under the previous Government.

[Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con)]

13. What assessment he has made of the potential implications of the provisions of the Localism Bill for planning policy guidance and statements.