§ Lord DULVERTONasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make a statement about the Interdepartmental Review of Countryside Policy.
§ Baroness BIRKMay I refer the noble Lord to the reply given today, to a Parliamentary Question, by my right honourable friend the Minister for Planning and Local Government, which was as follows:
"A Committee chaired by the Department of the Environment and including officers of the Department, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Welsh Office and the main public agencies concerned has been carrying out a wide-ranging review of countryside policy. The result of its work, which is continuing, will be published in the form of a series of papers for public discussion. Neither my colleagues nor I are committed to these papers, and policy action in this field which may be desirable as a result of the Committee's advice and public discussion will need to be considered in the light of the present position on public expenditure.
The first, introductory, paper from the Committee is expected to be published on 3rd August and I shall be placing copies in the Library."