§ Mr. Graham PageI beg to move Amendment No. 1, in page 1, line 16, at end insert:
'( ) the provision of advice for the Secretary of State or any other Minister on the development and implementation of policies for or affecting nature conservation in Great Britain;'1363 Perhaps it would be convenient to discuss at the same time Government Amendment No. 2 and a manuscript amendment which is purely consequential on Amendment No. 1.Amendment No. 1 fulfils an undertaking which I gave in Committee that I would seek to make it a function of the new council to advise the Secretary of State upon a national policy on nature conservation. The new sub-paragraph must then be included as one of the items which can be the subject of commissioned research.
Amendment No. 2 fulfils another undertaking I gave in Committee when I accepted the desirability of including a specific reference to the problem of ecological changes in the responsibilities of the Nature Conservancy Council.
§ Mr. OakesWe appreciate the speed with which the Government have implemented the undertaking they gave in Committee to bring in both these amendments, particularly No. 1, about which we are very concerned—the fact that the Nature Conservancy Council will now have a statutory duty to advise the Secretary of State or any other Minister on
the development and implementation of policies for or affecting nature conservation in Great Britain".We were concerned in Committee with major schemes, like Maplin, the Channel Tunnel and the return of defence lands to private ownership.The amendment more than adequately deals with that situation. We welcome the fact that it has been tabled.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Manuscript Amendment made: In page 1, line 22, leave out 'and (ii)' and insert 'to (iii)'.
§ Amendment made: No. 2, in page 2, line 23, at end insert:
§ '(4A) It shall be the duty of the Council, in the discharge of their functions, to take account, as appropriate, of actual or possible ecological changes.'.—[Mr. Graham Page.]