§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will540W publish the response to the Government's consultation on improving public access to the countryside; and if he will list the main concerns raised by local authorities. [63831]
§ Mr. MealeI refer my hon. Friend to the answers given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Environment, to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr. Yeo) on 27 October 1998,Official Report, column 103, and to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 18 November 1998, Official Report, column 672. My Department's analysis of responses to the consultation paper, "Access to the Open Countryside in England and Wales," will summarise the key issues raised by respondents, including the representations made by local authorities.