§ MR. BRYCE (Aberdeen, S.)asked the Lord Advocate, Whether his attention has been called to the injury inflicted on the inhabitants of Fife, in the neighbourhood of Aberdour, by the taking by the North British Railway 492 Company, under powers alleged to have been conferred by a Private Act of Parliament, of an ancient footpath along the shore of the Firth of Forth, commanding views of great beauty; and, whether, in the preparation of a Local Government Bill for Scotland, he will consider the propriety of vesting in a representative Local Authority the duty of watching over and taking steps to protect the interests of the public in the matter of footpaths and open spaces, so as to prevent the occurrence of such injuries as the destruction of this Aberdour footpath has caused?
§ THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. H. A. MACDONALD) (Edinburgh and St. Andrew's Universities)I do not understand that the Aberdour footroad has been shut up by the construction of the railway, although it is clear that the line could not be made without, in some degree, injuring its amenity. I shall be glad to consider whether, in any coming legislation, aid can be given to the saving as much as possible of similar public rights when works of public utility are being promoted in Parliament.