§ Mr. S. ROBINSONasked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to recent serious encroachments upon Wetley Moor, Staffordshire, a common situate in close proximity to Stoke-upon-Trent; whether such enclosures have received the sanction of the Ministry of Agriculture; and, if not, whether the Ministry will hold an inquiry into the matter, with a view to protecting the interests of the public in open spaces?
Mr. SMITHI have been asked to reply. My right hon. Friend is aware of the encroachments to which the hon. Member refers. The Ministry has not sanctioned any of the enclosures, but he regrets to say that it has no power either to prevent them or to hold a local inquiry, except on an application for a scheme for the regulation of the common under the Commons Acts, 1845 to 1899.