Clause36
Commons Bill [Lords]
9:30 am
David Drew (Stroud, Labour)
Again, these are probing amendments. I wish toclarify the situation with regard to pre-existing schemes ofmanagement, where the Government, for whatever reason, have chosen totake action against a commons association, presumably because ofsomething it should have done or something it should not havedone.
My amendmentNo. 77 seeks to ensure that the public have a right to appeal againstany action that would damage a pre-existing scheme of management oncommon land. That is a fall-back position in terms of possible actionthat could be taken against a commons association or committee, oragainst the Government, should they choose to take action because they were unhappyabout how a particular association or committee was carrying out itsduties.
The twoprobing amendments sit together, and I want to hear theMinister’s comments on them. We should ensure that there is apublic interest in terms of the protection of pre-existing agreements,which could be changed by the nature of this legislation. We shouldalso be clear about what happens in a dispute over a pre-existingagreement and a subsequent agreement, and what the Government’srelationship would be in respect of such adispute.