Written question asked by Martin Caton (Labour) on Wednesday, 24 April 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 May 2002. It was answered by Alun Michael (Labour) on Wednesday, 1 May 2002 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications of the House of Lords ruling in the case Bettison v Langton and others for the future management and protection of common land. - Inc ref to consultation document 'Greater Protection and Better Management of Common Land in England and Wales'.

Answer: Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of the House of Lords ruling in the case Bettison v Langton and others for the future management and protection of common land. [53020] Alun Michael: The Bettison v Langton judgment made it conclusive in law that rights of common of grazing, registered for a fixed number of animals as required by the Commons Registration Act 1965, could be severed from the common land to which they were originally attached. This judgment could have significant implications for the management of common land. We have already issued guidance to the Commons Registration Authorities on how to record severance on the register of common land if they are notified it has taken place. In the consultation document "Greater Protection and Better Management of Common Land in England and Wales" we invited views on the idea of preventing severance. We expect to announce our conclusions soon.

Secondary information