§ 54. Mr. LEWISasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider, with a view to preserving the beauty of the countryside, introducing at some convenient opportunity legislation to make it an offence punishable by fine to sell wild flowers without the permission of the occupier of the land from which the flowers were taken?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir Herbert Samuel)I doubt if Parliament would be prepared to go so far as to approve making it a penal offence for persons, in many cases children, to gather wild flowers and offer them for sale. The proposal would also entail great difficulties in connection with the question of proof whether the owner's permission had or had not been given. Three years ago a new form of by-law was drawn up at a conference between the Home Office and representatives of county councils and other interested bodies to stop the uprooting of wild plants and this by-law is now in operation in 32 counties.