§ Mr. Colin ShepherdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent consultations he has undertaken concerning common land; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AtkinsOver the last 18 months, officials of the Department of the Environment and the Welsh Office have held informal discussions with the major bodies concerned with common land. Those discussions confirmed the Government's view that there was a need to investigate practical ways in which improvements in both the registration process and the management of common land might be achieved. Officials have since been looking at what needs to be done to achieve those objectives, and I hope to report our conclusions to the House shortly.