Clause 16 - Power to amend sections 1 and 2
High Hedges Bill
11:15 am
Mr John Taylor (Solihull, Conservative)
As I said when we began to consider the Bill, it is limited to complaints about obstruction of light and certain types of high hedge. It will solve the main problem cases and I understand that consultation responses support that view. Nevertheless, experience might reveal that the Bill does not cover particular high hedge problems that we have not yet thought of, in which case people could wait years for another Bill to be introduced. The clause foreshortens matters by allowing the Secretary of State to bring other grounds of complaint within the scope of the legislation and to alter the definition of ``high hedge'' by regulation. As I said when we discussed clause 13, given the sensitivities involved, such regulations would be debated in both Houses of Parliament under affirmative resolution procedure.