HL Deb 25 March 1964 vol 256 cc1340-2

Report of Amendments received (according to Order).

EARL ST. ALDWYN

My Lords, I have it in Command from Her Majesty the Queen to signify to the House that Her Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the New Forest Bill, has consented to place Her Majesty's interest so far as it is concerned on behalf of the Crown at the disposal of Parliament for the purposes of the Bill.

Then, Standing Order No. 41 having been suspended (pursuant to Resolution of March 19), Bill read 3a (privilege Amendment made).

LORD CRATHORNE

My Lords, I beg to move that the Bill do now pass.

Moved, That the Bill do now pass.—(Lord Crathorne.)

EARL FERRERS

My Lords, if I may say a word, my noble friend Lord St. Oswald has asked me to express his apologies to your Lordships for having to leave early, but he has been suffering from an indisposition, as some of your Lordships may have realised, and has regretfully had to leave. I only hope that, in his endeavour to be here to answer the Agriculture debate, he has not passed on his indisposition to anyone else. As I have been sitting near him all the afternoon I would reiterate this fortissimo.

He has asked me to say that the common land aspects of this Bill have, of course, been considered under the Select Committee procedure, and the Committee have recommended that the Bill should be allowed subject to certain safeguards. Your Lordships accepted the views of the Select Committee last night, and, as my noble friend indicated on Second Reading, my right honourable friend therefore has no objection, in the light of your Lordships' attitude, to the provisions of the Bill as now amended so far as they affect common land and the rights of the commoners. I would add that, from the point of view of the Forestry Commission, the Bill includes a number of provisions which they would find useful in the administration of the New Forest. It only remains for me to express the gratitude of the House to my noble friend Lord Crathorne and to the Promoters for their public spirit in bringing this measure before the House.

LORD CRATHORNE

My Lords, at this hour I do not think that I should continue the debate on this Bill, but I should like to express my gratitude to the noble Lords, in all parts of the House, who have made their contributions at various stages of this Bill. I would also, if I may—and I trust that I am in order in doing so—thank the Select Committee of your Lordships' House for the careful and thorough way in which they investigated the points which they had to discuss, for the Amendments made to the Bill in Select Committee, and for the admirable Report made. I have nothing further to say, except to wish the Bill well in its further stages in another place, and to express the hope that when it becomes an Act of Parliament it may be of great benefit to those who live in the New Forest, both human beings and animals.

On Question, Bill passed, and sent to the Commons.