§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the powers of local authorities to control hunting activities on publicly owned land.
§ Mr. BaldryThe power of an authority to control hunting activities on its land depends both on the powers under which the land is held, and on any applicable local Acts, byelaws and covenants. The court has recently held that an authority, having acquired land under section 120 of the Local Government Act 1972 for the benefit, improvement or development of its area, cannot have regard to moral considerations when deciding to ban stag hunting on that land, but has to make an objective judgment about the proper management of the land.