Clause40
Commons Bill [Lords]
1:30 pm
James Paice (Shadow Minister (Agriculture & Rural Affairs), Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; South East Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
This amendment follows on from our earlier debateand the intervention by my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr.Dunne) about his experience of a time-consuming process in northShropshire.
Theamendment was suggested by the Woodland Trust as a result of seriousproblems that it has had waiting for the Secretary of State’sconsent to fencing when it has tried to reintroduce grazing for goodconservation management on parts of commons. It fits entirely with our earlier discussion, and this time I am trying tointroduce into the procedure for consent in clause 40 a requirementthat the regulations include guidelines on the time scale for makingdecisions. Speeding up the process would be to the advantage ofeffective commons management, which is largely what the Bill isabout.
I have no doubtthat although the Minister will not want to accept the amendment as itis, he accepts the principle behind it, which is that speed is of theessence. If he does not want to include such a requirement in theregulations, he must put some predication somewhere that matters willbe dealt with as swiftly as possible so that decisions can be made andactions followtherefrom.