§ 2.57 p.m.
§ Lord KILMANY: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government when it is expected that the Epsom and Ewell Borough Council will promote legislation to protect the Epsom Downs in such a way as to ensure the future of the Epsom Derby by replacing the Epsom and Walton Downs Regulation Act 1936 before it expires in 1984.
§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTONMy Lords, I understand that the council hope to promote a Bill at the end of 1981.
§ Lord KILMANYMy Lords, while I thank my noble friend for that reply, which would seem to be very satisfactory, may I ask him to bear in mind that private legislation can take a long time? Would it not be just as well to get on with putting this on the statute book without further delay to remove any possible anxieties there might be about the future holding of the Derby?
§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTONMy Lords, these local Bills take a good deal of work and much drafting and the council may have it in mind to do a few other things in the local Bill which they will bring forward. If the legislation in Parliament were so clogged up that it looked as though there would be a danger of these local Bills not meeting the 1984 deadline, it would if necessary always be open to the Government to introduce an order delaying the 1984 deadline.