I support the clause because, while I applaud the work of the hon. Member for Bassetlaw in identifying an historic anomaly and of the then Minister, the right hon. Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Alun Michael) in his consultation, we all realise that to upgrade from a RUPP to a BOAT on the basis of historic use a long time ago, whether by the Royalists or the Romans, is not the right way to proceed.

My regret in the Bill is that we are not addressing the real issues, which is to put rights of way legislation in place so that we have a rights of way network for the 21st century rather than the 20th, 19th or 18th centuries. People’s needs, whether to get from one place to another or for recreation, have changed and we are using an out-of-date system to meet their needs.

I welcome the clause because, as the hon. Member for South-East Cambridgeshire said, it looks to the future. There are opportunities in the countryside for walkers, people who ride horses and people who use mechanically propelled vehicles. The question is, whether they are doing those things in a way that sustains the resource that they want to enjoy, or in a way that destroys it.

One can make a case that walkers cause a huge amount of erosion. In fact, one of the most costly exercises that was undertaken in the Brecon Beacons national park was to restore the path up Pen-y-Fan, which is the highest point in the Brecon Beacons. The erosion was caused entirely by walkers, and repairing it was hugely expensive. I can point to many such instances in my constituency.