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Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

My Lords, I tender my apologies to the House for not being able to speak at Report last Monday. My name was on the original amendment. All the relevant arguments have been powerfully made on this point in particular by the noble Baroness, Lady Byford, and by the noble Lord, Lord Bradshaw. They really have stretched it out. I had the impression looking through the debate that the Minister, with his usual thoroughness and courtesy, was not entirely unfriendly to the purpose behind the amendment, and we have since heard that that is the case today. Any increase in the bulging backlog of applications will inevitably result in further deterioration in BOATs, green lanes, RUPPs and the like. While they are being processed, already overburdened parish and county councils will be diverted from repairing the damage which has already taken place very extensively. Whether half a loaf will be better than none remains to be seen but I feel I must accept, if not gracefully at least realistically. I am grateful to the Minister for offering to reduce the problem so generously, even if it falls short of what we had hoped for at the start of these deliberations.