§ Mr. CECIL WILSONasked the Minister of Agriculture whether the Memorandum of the Local Government Board of January, 1895, as to the powers and duties of rural district councils with respect to rights of way, roadside wastes and commons is still in force; whether he can state the cases in which since that date the Ministry has consented to the enclosure of any common or any part of a common; and whether in all cases where application for enclosure has been made the parish and district council has, in accordance with the above Memorandum, had due notice of the proposed enclosure?
Mr. GUINNESSThe Memorandum to which the hon. Member refers is now largely obsolete, but in so far as it points out that notice of any proposed enclosure of a common must be given to the parish and district councils concerned, it still holds good. Since 1895 the Ministry of Agriculture has consented in 128 cases to the enclosure of commons or parts of commons; and in every instance notice of the proposed enclosure was given to the parish and district council except in one case of urgency affecting a small area in Wales.