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Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

I am mindful of the hour and I shall therefore be brief. We were minded to support the Conservative amendments and I am therefore delighted with the Under-Secretary’s assurances, especially about guidance. We are pleased that a sensible compromise was reached. That means that green lanes can be protected and the integrity of the countryside maintained. It was essential, in a Bill aimed at safeguarding the natural environment, to reach such an outcome to allow local authorities to deal with the backlog of claims and to prosecute the minority, who wilfully flout the laws and ride or drive where they should not, while allowing those who have established rights to continue to exercise them. We are therefore happy to support the compromise.