§ Lord Mayhewasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they propose to prevent the loss of public footpaths as a result of the failure of the highway authorities and the Department of the Environment to adhere to the procedural timetable laid down in the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.
§ Lord SkelmersdalePublic rights of way do not cease to exist simply through failure to record them in definitive maps. It is of course desirable to keep up-to-date definitive maps and statements of public rights of way. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 introduced a new and more flexible procedure for this purpose which was brought into operation on 28th February this year and should prove more effective than the previous arrangements.