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Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

I intervene very briefly, because I have taken no part in debates on the Bill, but Amendment No. 316 has sparked me off. We need clarity and, as the noble Lord, Lord Bradshaw, said in our previous debate, there has been scaremongering about disabled people. My excuse for intervening is my interest, which I must declare, as the president of Disabled Ramblers. I must say that that is in name only; I have never been an active rambler. As I understand it, users of all types of wheelchairs—classes 1, 2 and 3—are classed as walkers for these purposes. Perhaps the Minister will confirm or clarify that when he replies. Amendment No. 316 would apply to disabled people who use adapted vehicles—wheelchairs that are specially made. Disabled Ramblers support their wish to access the countryside, but it stresses that these vehicles need to stick to the roads with proper, firm surfaces. It makes the point that these surfaces should be better maintained than they are. The rest of the Committee knows much better about that than I do, as I do not go along them. Disabled Ramblers says that disabled ramblers must stick to using the specially adapted vehicles, because even the more powerful wheelchairs have great difficulty with ruts and damaged surfaces, as do walkers in the countryside.