HC Deb 09 June 1971 vol 818 cc1033-4
28. Mr. Fry

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will have consultations with the appropriate authorities with a view to seeking powers to regulate organised walks, in view of the danger to human life and the traffic hazards that they can entail.

Mr. Peyton

Though I deplore the holding of organised walks in a manner contrary to the advice of my Department and the police, I should be reluctant to seek legal powers to control them.

Mr. Fry

I am sure that my right hon. Friend is aware of the real public concern on the subject. Will he not agree that, at the very least, such walks should be registered with the police for their approval, in the interests of road safety?

Mr. Peyton

I think that most organisers do seek police advice. What I deplore is their not following that advice when they have sought it How- ever, I feel that we should be going a very long way and be taking a serious step if we sought to control access by pedestrians to the highway.

Mr. Crawshaw

Will the right hon. Gentleman take it that many people will be delighted with his reply, and will he agree that, despite accidents, we ought to keep a sense of proportion in these matters, remembering that on these walks many young people take part for the first time in something which will assist the community, and quite often this leads to their taking an active part in community work?

Mr. Peyton

I am immensely obliged to the hon. Gentleman for his question, if only because it gives me an opportunity to remind the House and others outside that every year 28,000 pedestrians are killed or seriously injured on our roads, only a very small proportion of whom are involved in these walks.