Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire) (Conservative): Does the Secretary of State agree that one of the great drawbacks in Northern Ireland, as elsewhere, on job-producing economic initiatives is the dead hand of the planning system? What steps will she take to seek to encourage the Northern Ireland Executive to hasten the planning system, particularly with regard to large-scale projects?

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mrs Theresa Villiers): I agree with my hon. Friend that reforming the planning system is vital in ensuring that a country is a good place in which to do business. He will appreciate that planning is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. I very much welcome the Executive’s work on seeing whether the planning system can be reformed to make it more effective and efficient.

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Hansard: http://www.jamesgray.org/in-the-chamber/northern-ireland-economic-policies-24-10-2012