... Service's enforcement powers. We have also opened up the planning process to public scrutiny, well ahead of the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The forthcoming Review of Public Administration will provide an opportunity to look closely at the planning system's position within Northern Ireland's political and institutional framework. In advance of that, there is an opportunity to examine critically the way in which the planning process operates. I committed my Department to carrying out an internal review of operational planning processes in the Programme for Government, and this consultation paper is the fruit of that review. It follows hot on the heels of the publication of the English Planning Green Paper, but it focuses on the very different arrangements for the delivery of planning in Northern Ireland. We need simpler, faster and more accessible processes that serve both business and the community if we are to deliver sustainable development ...

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