§ Mr. Soamesasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his policy towards the future of common land.
§ Mr. WaldegraveMy right hon. Friend and the Secretary of State for Wales received the report of the Common Land Forum last September. It set out more than 100 recommendations, including detailed proposals for further legislation on common land. The report is agreed by a wide range of various organisations covering a multitude of different interests. We warmly congratulate the chairman and members of the forum both on the comprehensiveness of their suggested reform and on the breadth of the consensus they have achieved.
The Government accept the case for future legislation based broadly on the forum's report and intend to introduce a Commons Bill at a suitable opportunity when parliamentary time permits. A consultation paper has accordingly been published today so that all those interested in common land matters should be given an early opportunity to express their views on the forum's report. I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Library. The responses, which should be submitted by 1 May, will then be taken into account in the preparation of the legislation.