§ 2.35 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT BLEDISLOEMy Lords, I beg to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government how soon the Report of the Committee on the future administration of the Forest of Dean and the regulation of commoners' rights therein, set up over two years ago, will be issued.]
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, the draft of the Committee's Report is in an advanced stage, but completion, I regret, has been held up mainly by the absence of a member of the Committee who has been injured in a motor accident. I fear that this means that it is unlikely that the Report will now be submitted to the Forestry Commission before the spring.
§ VISCOUNT BLEDISLOEMy Lords, while expressing sincere sympathy with the sufferer from this accident, I want to ask the Government, as a personal favour, as I am the senior verderer of the Forest of Dean, whether they will do all in their power to accelerate the issue of this Report so that it may be published and legislation founded upon it introduced during my lifetime. As a matter of fact, the discussion upon this Report has taken considerably longer than was anticipated. The Committee was set up over two years ago. The accident to which the noble Lord has referred occurred over two months ago, and my neighbours are getting very impatient about the non-issue of the Report. I make this special appeal because I have been senior verderer of the Forest of Dean for over half a century and I am now ninety years of age.
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, we are fully aware of the urgency of this problem; the noble Viscount has stressed it 402 before and I think it is fully understood. It is a most unfortunate thing that the member who sustained this accident, Mr. W. H. Guillebaud, the late Deputy Director-General of the Forestry Commission, had been preparing the section on afforestation and his assistance in completing the Report is vital. I can only say that if anybody else were asked to take over his work at the present stage it would probably create a greater delay than will occur by waiting for Mr. Guillebaud to complete his section himself. I can only hope, assuming the worst and that the delay goes on for a long time (which I am quite sure it will not) that, none the less, legislation will be introduced during the lifetime of the noble Viscount.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I hope that the expedition which is asked for by the noble Viscount, Lord Bledisloe, will be achieved. I should like to see something done to see that his wishes are observed. I should like to say—and I rise mainly for this purpose—how glad we are to congratulate the noble Viscount on the great birthday he attained in the Recess. Those of us who have already communicated our congratulations on his birthday to him privately would like to see public reference made to it in this House.
§ VISCOUNT BLEDISLOEMy Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Viscount for what he has so kindly said.