UK Parliament / Open data

Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

Debate on bills on Tuesday, 11 October 2005, in the House of Commons, led by Lord Knight of Weymouth. The answering member was Oliver Letwin.
Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill. Report stage. Queen's consent signified. Prince of Wales's consent signified. Third reading. Agreed to on question and passed.

About these Parliamentary proceedings

Reference

437 c173-262 

Session

2005-06

Department

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Legislative stage

Third reading and Report stage

Procedure

New clauses
Prince of Wales's consent
Queen's consent

Chamber / Committee

House of Commons chamber

Related items

Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill. (As amended in Standing Committee A).
Tuesday, 5 July 2005
Bills
House of Commons

Proceeding contributions

Speaker | 437 c244-5 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: New clause 8—Restoration Of Habitat— '...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c246 (Link to this contribution) I wish to advise the hon. Gentleman and the House that, if there is time for me to contribute to the...

Show all contributions (170)
James Paice | 437 c245-6 (Link to this contribution) I shall try to deal briefly with new clause 6. We addressed a similar issue in Committee—or to be mo...
James Paice | 437 c246 (Link to this contribution) I look forward to that announcement, and I certainly do not intend to take many minutes. I want to h...
Lord Randall of Uxbridge | 437 c240 (Link to this contribution) No, it is not. Well, I was going to say that both Ministers present are generally reckoned to be ver...
Lord Randall of Uxbridge | 437 c242 (Link to this contribution) The Minister said that if the nest were destroyed, the bird would build another. The nature of the s...
James Paice | 437 c237-8 (Link to this contribution) If the hon. Gentleman will bear with me, I hope to address that issue, not least by pointing out tha...
David Heath | 437 c237 (Link to this contribution) I support what the hon. Gentleman seeks to achieve, but I am puzzled by one point. I am not an ornit...
James Paice | 437 c236 (Link to this contribution) Yes, and that is why I have tabled the new clause.
Lord Randall of Uxbridge | 437 c238-9 (Link to this contribution) : I rise to speak briefly to this group of amendments, and especially to amendment my No. 35. I cong...
Speaker | 437 c235 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following amendments: No. 5, in clause 46, page 17,...
James Paice | 437 c235-6 (Link to this contribution) I am sorry that I was rather slow to rise to speak, Madam Deputy Speaker; I was getting carried away...
Oliver Letwin | 437 c228 (Link to this contribution) Will the Minister clarify that he is talking about all those applications that have been made since ...
James Paice | 437 c218 (Link to this contribution) Nothing that I propose affects the existing network of BOATs, so all responsible users, who, I readi...
Roger Williams | 437 c218 (Link to this contribution) Having listened to the debate on proposed rights of way legislation, I am confirmed in my opinion th...
Hugh Bayley | 437 c220 (Link to this contribution) I support my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry). I am a reg...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c231-2 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful and I undertake to meet the right hon. Gentleman to ensure that he is happy, before an...
Roger Williams | 437 c232 (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for that offer. Bridleways are used by cyclists who have rights to use them. In...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c232-3 (Link to this contribution) As I say, I shall have a chat with the hon. Gentleman to see whether anything can be done, but I adv...
James Paice | 437 c233-4 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) implied that in my reply to the debates on some of the ear...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c230 (Link to this contribution) I will give way one last time, particularly as it is to my hon. Friend, but I really want to make so...
Paddy Tipping | 437 c230 (Link to this contribution) We all want to make progress on this issue and the line of progress has been laid out clearly to the...
Paddy Tipping | 437 c230 (Link to this contribution) Will the Minister give way on that point?
Oliver Letwin | 437 c229 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the Minister for giving way again; he has been very generous. I want to press him o...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c229 (Link to this contribution) I hope it will be ““Hallelujah.”” It would be my intention to clarify this matter in law in the Bill...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c229 (Link to this contribution) As ever, I am grateful to my hon. Friend. Following our identifying the wider problem and announcing...
James Paice | 437 c230 (Link to this contribution) Not quite a nod, Mr. Deputy Speaker; or even a wink, which might be misconstrued. The Minister said ...
James Paice | 437 c205 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is right. A large proportion of users cause no serious problems or damage. My pur...
Lembit Opik | 437 c205 (Link to this contribution) While I understand the concerns that the hon. Gentleman puts forward, does he accept that the great ...
Lord Bellingham | 437 c204 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend has looked at the issue carefully. Does he agree that until recently if someone wante...
James Paice | 437 c203-4 (Link to this contribution) I suspect that this group of new clauses and amendments, which deals with the Government’s proposals...
Speaker | 437 c202-3 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: New clause 10—Driving a mechanically pro...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c196-7 (Link to this contribution) That is inherited from other legislation, so it does not need to appear on the face of the Bill. As ...
Peter Atkinson | 437 c196 (Link to this contribution) Will the Minister help me to clarify something? In clause 44 there is no mention of the idea that an...
James Paice | 437 c197 (Link to this contribution) I did not say this in my opening remarks, but we entirely understand the Government’s sensible amend...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c198 (Link to this contribution) The original death is important, but the reason for the urgency is the need to prevent the death of ...
James Paice | 437 c197-8 (Link to this contribution) I have been accused of far worse. I do not think the Minister would find it easy to sell outside th...
James Paice | 437 c198 (Link to this contribution) Of course the prevention of the death of other birds is urgent, but it is not as urgent as stopping ...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c196 (Link to this contribution) Let me deal with that point. There are three broad reasons why wider powers for dealing with pestici...
Emily Thornberry | 437 c212-3 (Link to this contribution) As chair of the all-party cycling group, may I take this opportunity to raise an issue that is of pa...
James Paice | 437 c212 (Link to this contribution) I will try to do so. I do not want to go into the detail of all the cases, because the hon. Member f...
Adam Afriyie | 437 c211 (Link to this contribution) : We have some great parks, lakes, hills and dales in Berkshire and cycling is one of the healthy an...
Philip Dunne | 437 c210 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend refers to the contention to which the amendment might give rise. In his description o...
James Paice | 437 c208-10 (Link to this contribution) I am very grateful as always on this matter to the hon. Gentleman. He has been even more proactive—d...
James Paice | 437 c207 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the Minister for agreeing with that general figure. It is clear that there has been...
Roger Williams | 437 c261 (Link to this contribution) It has been a great pleasure to be involved with the Bill. We have a duty to preserve and protect th...
Paddy Tipping | 437 c260-1 (Link to this contribution) Let me continue the love-in. The second way in which the Bill has been improved is by the Minister a...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c261-2 (Link to this contribution) Madam Deputy Speaker, I do not believe that I have much more to add, except to say that I intended t...
Paddy Tipping | 437 c260 (Link to this contribution) I was hoping to offer the hon. Gentleman the opportunity of having a Minister to listen to his debat...
Gerald Howarth | 437 c260 (Link to this contribution) May I remind the hon. Gentleman that as I have the Adjournment debate it would be kind if he left me...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c251 (Link to this contribution) I am familiar with disappointing yellow documents, but the CRC is doing a fantastic job as a rural c...
Oliver Letwin | 437 c251 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Norman Baker | 437 c248 (Link to this contribution) The Minister does not want to use this vehicle, which he regards as convenient, because it may not b...
Colin Breed | 437 c250-1 (Link to this contribution) The new clause seeks to readdress the situation that we spent some time considering in Committee. Th...
Speaker | 437 c250 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss amendment No. 3, in clause 19, page 7, line 29, after ‘ma...
James Paice | 437 c246-7 (Link to this contribution) The Minister is right: they are rats with fluffy tails. I am sure that, if we spoke to people walkin...
Tom Levitt | 437 c175-6 (Link to this contribution) I very much welcome the new clause. As the Minister knows, the Peak district is the most beautiful p...
Robert Goodwill | 437 c178 (Link to this contribution) To help the Minister, the point I made was about legal motor sport in national parks. I referred to ...
Ian Liddell-Grainger | 437 c176 (Link to this contribution) One of the issues that I touched on was the relationship between the Ministry of Defence and nationa...
Hywel Williams | 437 c176 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman raises a valuable point. I am not aware of the military use of national parks whe...
Speaker | 437 c179 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: Government new clause 13—Agreement betwee...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c179 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c180-1 (Link to this contribution) I am glad that it is clear to all right hon. and hon. Members. As in the existing clauses, we have ...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c179-80 (Link to this contribution) I now turn to an important part of the Bill, which is essential to help make the new delivery arrang...
Paddy Tipping | 437 c180 (Link to this contribution) I welcome this move; the Minister is acting sensibly. However, I want to make a practical point. He ...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c182 (Link to this contribution) There is not much to add, beyond comment on the Wine Standards Board. That body clearly carries out ...
Speaker | 437 c186-8 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: New clause 2—Enforcement powers in conne...
James Paice | 437 c186 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
James Paice | 437 c188-90 (Link to this contribution) We move on to a specific matter that was debated in Committee, so I am grateful to you, Mr. Deputy S...
Angela C Smith | 437 c190 (Link to this contribution) They weaken the Government’s proposals because they would impose such restrictions on the operation ...
Angela C Smith | 437 c191 (Link to this contribution) There is no evidence that such powers in other legislation have been used inappropriately to make a ...
Colin Breed | 437 c192 (Link to this contribution) I do not agree with the last part of that intervention. The problem is that anyone who conceals a pe...
Adam Afriyie | 437 c191 (Link to this contribution) I attended this debate because I wish to make a small point about cyclists and rights of way, but it...
James Paice | 437 c195 (Link to this contribution) I appreciate the Minister’s efforts at brevity, but is he saying that if the inspector found some pe...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c195 (Link to this contribution) This is where we get into the interesting territory of the application of PACE. I cannot give the ho...
Lord Randall of Uxbridge | 437 c192-3 (Link to this contribution) When I first saw the new clauses and amendments, I was tempted to speak against them. In the last Pa...
James Paice | 437 c175 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the Minister for commencing this afternoon’s proceedings with what I might call a b...
Ian Liddell-Grainger | 437 c174 (Link to this contribution) The Minister is absolutely right; Exmoor national park has exactly that problem. But would he differ...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c174 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move, that the clause be read a Second time. It is pleasure to be able to return to this B...
James Paice | 437 c242-3 (Link to this contribution) As the Minister and my hon. Friend realise, I was not expecting the Minister to grab new clause 5 wi...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c242 (Link to this contribution) Certainly, these are species that we care deeply about; we want to preserve and enhance their habita...
James Paice | 437 c244 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
Norman Baker | 437 c236 (Link to this contribution) I concur with the point that the hon. Gentleman makes about the seizures. I am concerned that the au...
Lord Randall of Uxbridge | 437 c239-40 (Link to this contribution) Indeed. I am not sure that the model proposed in new clause 5 is the best way to approach this matt...
Hugh Bayley | 437 c220-1 (Link to this contribution) Indeed. If one hears that drone the lift to one’s spirits is not as high or as mighty as it would ot...
Lord Young of Cookham | 437 c221-2 (Link to this contribution) It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for City of York (Hugh Bayley)—I expect that we will meet...
Lord Mann | 437 c222-5 (Link to this contribution) Last night, I looked at a booklet featuring Saxon and Roman routes through Bassetlaw, which is now n...
Peter Atkinson | 437 c225 (Link to this contribution) I agree with something that the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) said, in that I hope that we w...
Anne Snelgrove | 437 c225-6 (Link to this contribution) I want to thank the Minister for offering an open door to Members from all parts of the House. He ha...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c226-8 (Link to this contribution) I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Rob Marris) on his succinct speec...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c228 (Link to this contribution) Yes, I am talking about outstanding applications. I intend to make a clear and explicit announcemen...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c218 (Link to this contribution) It is not up to me when I am called to speak in the debate. I am happy to hear all of the thoughts o...
Hywel Williams | 437 c218 (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend. He and I share the responsibility of representing an area of mid-Wales that ...
Lembit Opik | 437 c218 (Link to this contribution) As he shares representation of Powys with me, does my hon. Friend agree that much motorised off-road...
Hywel Williams | 437 c219-20 (Link to this contribution) I thank the hon. Gentleman. The Government are considering some form of sustainability test for rig...
Hywel Williams | 437 c218-9 (Link to this contribution) I thank the hon. Gentleman for pointing that out. Those involved in such activities sometimes forget...
Rob Marris | 437 c219 (Link to this contribution) It is the Green Lanes Protection Group.
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c230-1 (Link to this contribution) By way of making progress, I am seeking to table amendments in the other place that will satisfy the...
Andrew MacKay | 437 c231 (Link to this contribution) If the Minister is saying that he accepts the new clause in principle, but that his drafters and law...
James Paice | 437 c235 (Link to this contribution) : I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
James Paice | 437 c229 (Link to this contribution) I am sorry if the Minister thinks that there is a pincer movement; it is not intentional. But may I ...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c229-30 (Link to this contribution) We all agree that, as far as possible, we want an end to this abuse of the countryside and to preven...
Paddy Tipping | 437 c228-9 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for the commitments that my hon. Friend the Minister has made and I am delighted that ...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c230 (Link to this contribution) In that case, I shall go through the detail as quickly as I can. Under new clause 4, a sort of suit...
James Paice | 437 c205 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is right. I wanted to conclude this item by referring to one particular quote, wh...
Paddy Tipping | 437 c205 (Link to this contribution) : The hon. Gentleman has just mentioned a website and talked about some of the people who have contr...
James Paice | 437 c205 (Link to this contribution) I am surrounded. I give way to the hon. Member for Sherwood (Mr. Tipping.)
James Paice | 437 c204-5 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to my hon. Friend. That is exactly our contention. Many land owners have made availabl...
Robert Key | 437 c205-6 (Link to this contribution) I regret to say that my hon. Friend is absolutely right— that flood has already occurred in the coun...
John Redwood | 437 c197 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is being charitable.
James Paice | 437 c202 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
James Paice | 437 c196 (Link to this contribution) I repeat the point that the new clause provisions are directly lifted from the Minister’s own Depart...
Andrew MacKay | 437 c213-5 (Link to this contribution) I entirely endorse the remarks of the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberr...
James Paice | 437 c211 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for my right hon. Friend’s support, and I mentioned Derbyshire as one of the counties ...
Lord McLoughlin | 437 c210 (Link to this contribution) I am very pleased by the way in which my hon. Friend has put his case. He has explained the problem ...
James Paice | 437 c210 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who demonstrates tremendous support for his constituency. The probl...
Paddy Tipping | 437 c207-8 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to have worked with the hon. Gentleman on that point. Of course, I have seen the advic...
John Redwood | 437 c206 (Link to this contribution) : I should like to thank my hon. Friend for bringing this important matter to the attention of the H...
James Paice | 437 c206 (Link to this contribution) I am very grateful to my hon. Friend, and I do not disagree with anything that he says.
Lord Mann | 437 c206 (Link to this contribution) : The hon. Gentleman makes the point that his proposal will do nothing to existing rights. How would...
Speaker | 437 c260 (Link to this contribution) Order. I remind right hon. and hon. Members that we are now on the Third Reading of the Bill.
Paddy Tipping | 437 c260 (Link to this contribution) Let me come directly to the points that I wished to make. The Bill has been improved in a number of ...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c260 (Link to this contribution) For fear of this becoming a love-in, let me take the opportunity of paying tribute to my hon. Friend...
Paddy Tipping | 437 c260 (Link to this contribution) I had intended to make some short comments, but those who must be obeyed have suggested that I talk ...
Norman Baker | 437 c259-60 (Link to this contribution) I am happy to concur with those remarks and I begin by thanking my hon. Friend the Member for South-...
Oliver Letwin | 437 c259 (Link to this contribution) I was astonished as I proceeded, Madam Deputy Speaker, at the generosity of your attitude to my rema...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c256-8 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. It has given me great pleasure to introduc...
Colin Breed | 437 c251 (Link to this contribution) I hope that hon. Members will support new clause 22.
Oliver Letwin | 437 c251 (Link to this contribution) I merely wanted to tell the hon. Gentleman that everything that he said was music to our ears.
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c248-9 (Link to this contribution) I understand the urgency but, equally, we must get things right. The first meeting of the programme ...
Colin Breed | 437 c250 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
James Paice | 437 c249 (Link to this contribution) Again, I did not really expect the Minister to change the stance that he took in Committee. He clear...
Norman Baker | 437 c247 (Link to this contribution) : I shall be brief, as I am keen that we should have at least a couple of minutes on new clause 22. ...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c247-8 (Link to this contribution) As the amendments have a common purpose, I shall address them together. I share the desire expressed...
Robert Goodwill | 437 c177 (Link to this contribution) While I recognise the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgwater (Mr. Liddell-Grainger) ...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c177-8 (Link to this contribution) A lot of points have been made in quick-fire succession, which is obviously an efficient way for us ...
Roger Williams | 437 c176 (Link to this contribution) I welcome the wisdom of the Minister in tabling the new clause. In all respects, it replicates my in...
Bob Spink | 437 c177 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman on the Treasury Bench represents part of one of the most beautiful counties in En...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c178-9 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for clarifying that for me. We are talking about rights of way a...
James Paice | 437 c181-2 (Link to this contribution) Very dark. I shall not use emotive words. The Under-Secretary described the sensible complete revis...
James Paice | 437 c181 (Link to this contribution) It is not often that the Opposition manage to persuade the Government to tear up a whole chapter of ...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c180 (Link to this contribution) As ever, and as I was in Committee, I am grateful for my hon. Friend’s wisdom. The new clauses and a...
Angela C Smith | 437 c190 (Link to this contribution) I shall speak against the new clause because it significantly weakens clauses 43 to 45. It has been ...
Peter Atkinson | 437 c190 (Link to this contribution) We know and understand that this is a problem. Why does the hon. Lady think that the Opposition’s ne...
James Paice | 437 c190 (Link to this contribution) As my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (Mr. Atkinson) said, we do not wish to belittle the seriousn...
Colin Breed | 437 c191 (Link to this contribution) We are dealing with three distinct and serious issues. First, there is the poisoning of birds, parti...
Angela C Smith | 437 c192 (Link to this contribution) Does not clause 44 make it absolutely clear that there must be reasonable grounds for believing that...
Colin Breed | 437 c191-2 (Link to this contribution) Perhaps when the hon. Gentleman has been here a little longer, he will realise that this is not some...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c193-5 (Link to this contribution) I begin by reiterating what the hon. Members for South-East Cambridgeshire (Mr. Paice) and for Uxbri...
David Drew | 437 c195 (Link to this contribution) I apologise for coming late into the debate, but I want to ask the Minister for an assurance. The Bi...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c195-6 (Link to this contribution) It was said earlier that this feels like a Home Office debate. The purpose of these particular provi...
Rob Marris | 437 c226 (Link to this contribution) As a cyclist, I find new clause 21 attractive and congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Islingt...
Lord Mann | 437 c177 (Link to this contribution) Is my hon. Friend’s Department considering issuing any guidelines to national parks and others about...
James Paice | 437 c206-7 (Link to this contribution) If the hon. Gentleman will forgive me, I will deal with new clause 4 in detail in just a moment, whe...
Speaker | 437 c259 (Link to this contribution) Order. I wonder whether I might remind the right hon. Gentleman that on Third Reading, we should not...
Oliver Letwin | 437 c258-9 (Link to this contribution) I echo the Minister’s thanks on behalf of the Opposition. I thank him for the constructive spirit in...
Colin Breed | 437 c251 (Link to this contribution) I am sorry, but I want to give the Minister at least one minute to respond. [Hon. Members: ““Go on.”...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c174 (Link to this contribution) I am not sure that I personally would want to arbitrate in all those matters. The expectation would ...
Lord Knight of Weymouth | 437 c241-2 (Link to this contribution) Let me clarify from the outset that I am the first ever UK Minister for biodiversity, international ...
Paddy Tipping | 437 c218 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful that the Minister will respond. We shall listen to him closely and make further repres...
Paddy Tipping | 437 c216-8 (Link to this contribution) I am pleased to follow the right hon. Member for Bracknell (Mr. Mackay). His important points reflec...
Andrew MacKay | 437 c215-6 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is absolutely correct. The situation has led to unintended consequences, although...
David Drew | 437 c215 (Link to this contribution) : Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that the whole area is becoming problematic? The Government’s...
James Paice | 437 c206 (Link to this contribution) I am very grateful to my right hon. Friend for his support. What matters to me and my hon. Friends i...

Subjects

Access
Countryside
Departmental responsibilities
Enforcement
Environment protection
Motor vehicles
Nuisance
Public footpaths
Nature conservation
Pesticides
National parks
Rights of way
Wildlife
Rural areas
Cycleways
Commission for Rural Communities
Natural England

Legislation

Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill 2005-06

Link

View this Parliamentary proceeding on www.publications.parliament.uk
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