Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

That is inherited from other legislation, so it does not need to appear on the face of the Bill. As I have said, I would like the issue to be properly addressed in the Lords. I do not believe that we have dealt with it satisfactorily yet, and we will be able to do that in the other place. We had an interesting discussion in Committee on the powers of constables and inspectors in the management of wildlife offences. Government amendment No. 30, which is informed by that discussion, would allow the police to enter premises, but not dwellings, without a warrant if they suspected, with reasonable cause, that a wildlife offence had been committed. That extends the current provisions, which allow constables to enter premises without a warrant only when they suspect, with reasonable cause, that an offence is being committed. The amendment is important, because with wildlife offences evidence found in the countryside, such as dead birds or animals, can quickly and easily be disturbed by other wildlife, or by weather conditions. Equally, an offence may have been committed very recently. Some offences, such as crushing a nest of eggs, can take no more than a few seconds, and it seems silly to say that the police can act only while the offence is being committed. It is therefore a practical step to enable the police to enter premises if they think, with reasonable cause, that a wildlife offence has been committed. It is important that constables be given powers to act quickly; the time taken to obtain a warrant may be the difference between securing a conviction and losing the evidence entirely.