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The Efficient Government Team is in regular contact with the Gershon implementation team at the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) to share information and approaches to delivering efficiency savings.

Over the three year period from 2005-06 to 2007-08, £1,732 million of efficiency savings will be invested in improving public services. From 2007-08, a minimum of £745 million a year of efficiency savings will be invested in improving public services.

I have already made clear that we will report regularly to the Parliament’s Finance Committee on the progress of Efficient Government. I look forward to discussing further with the committee how this might best be done, though I am not immediately attracted to the suggestion above as I understand it of using the supporting documents to our regular budget revisions.

The aggregate cumulative cash-releasing savings is the total amount of cash releasing efficiency savings that will be made over the three year period, 2005-06 to 2007-08. Therefore, on the basis of the currently confirmed plans, over the three year period, 2005-06 to 2007-08, £1,732 million will be freed up for investment in improving our public services.

We will invite Audit Scotland to audit the system for delivering efficiency savings and to confirm that the efficiency savings have been made.

The recent consultation on Making Development Plans Deliver sets out a series of options, including financial rewards and penalties, requiring authorities to keep development plans up to date. An analysis of the responses will be published in due course. A white paper outlining the Executive’s proposals for modernising planning, including measures to speed up development planning, is expected to be published in spring 2005.

Planning authorities are subject to a number of targets for the processing of planning applications. These are:

(1) 80% of all applications for planning permission (aggregating householder, major and other applications) must be determined within two months.

(2) 85% of all applications for planning permission (aggregating householder, major and other applications) must be determined within three months.

(3) Taking the subset of householder applications as a separate category, 90% of these applications must be determined within two months

(4) Taking the subset of householder applications as a separate category, 95% of these applications must be determined within three months

(5) Taking the subset of major applications as a separate category, 80% of these applications must be determined within four months

The reason that additional targets are applied to the separate category of householder applications is that they are for the most part straightforward and are expected to be processed more quickly. An additional target for major applications is set because they tend to be more complex and may raise controversial or sensitive issues which in turn take longer to determine.

The general targets which apply to all applications therefore take into account the fact that speedier determination of householder applications (which are also more numerous) should balance out slower progress on the major development applications.

The Scottish Executive invited views on its proposals for reform of the development planning system in its consultation paper Making Development Plans Deliver which was published in April 2004. The proposals in the consultation paper were grouped under four key themes, that is more efficient management of the development planning process; more effective consultation and engagement in the preparation of plans; making plans shorter and targeted on key spatial issues; ensuring that plans are aimed at delivering desirable outcomes in terms of improving the environment; protecting what we value and promoting high-quality development. These proposals will all contribute towards securing more efficient operation of the development planning system and the achievement of more satisfactory planning outcomes.

In relation to development control the determination of planning applications takes place within a “plan led” system. That means that development plans (structure and local plans) form the basis of the planning system through setting the framework for land use and development in their areas. In determining planning applications local authorities are required to have regard to whether proposals are consistent with the development plan for the area. The Executive’s proposals to ensure coverage across Scotland of relevant and up to date development plans should therefore help to ensure that decisions on planning applications can be taken more quickly and consistently.

A white paper outlining the Executive’s proposals for modernising planning is expected to be published in spring 2005.

The planning system is based on a plan-led system by which planning authorities are required to make their decisions in accordance with the development plan for the area in question. Through the Making Development Plans Deliver consultation, we are working towards ensuring that development plans are up to date so that decisions can be made quickly and consistently.

The Scottish Executive has proposed a number of specific measures to help speed up the determination of planning applications. These include the introduction of e-planning methods which allow the submission of planning applications online and the standardisation of planning application forms. A white paper outlining the Executive’s proposals for modernising planning, including measures to speed up development control, is expected to be published in spring 2005.

Proposals in the Executive’s recent consultation on Making Development Plans Deliver include the introduction of a statutory requirement to update development plans within a defined period. A white paper outlining the Executive’s proposals for modernising planning, including measures to speed up development planning, is expected to be published in spring 2005.