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Clause 15


Guidance



Amendment made: No. 17, in page 6, line 25, at end insert—



'(   )   The power to give guidance under this section includes power to vary or revoke it.'.—[Jim Knight.]

Clause 38


Directions



Amendment made: No. 18, in page 13, line 14, at end insert—



'(   )   Before giving any directions under this section, the Secretary of State must consult the National Assembly for Wales, the Scottish Ministers and the relevant Northern Ireland department.'.—[Jim Knight.]

 
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Clause 70


Agreement Between a Minister and a Designated Body



Amendment made: No. 19, in page 28, line 20, leave out clause 70—[Jim Knight.]

Clause 71


Agreement Between The Secretary of State and Non-Designated Body



Amendment made: No. 20, in page 29, line 1, leave out clause 71—[Jim Knight.]

Clause 72


Agreement Between Designated Body and Another Body



Amendment made: No. 21, in page 29, line 17, leave out clause 72—[Jim Knight.]

Clause 73


Eligible Functions



Amendment made: No. 22, in page 30, line 3, leave out clause 73—[Jim Knight.]

Clause 74


Maximum Duration of Agreement



Amendment made: No. 23, in page 30, line 32, leave out clause 74—[Jim Knight.]

Clause 75


Powers of Bodies Authorised to Perform Functions



Amendment made: No. 24, in page 30, line 36, leave out clause 75—[Jim Knight.]

Clause 76


Supplementary Provisions With Respect to Agreements



Amendment made: No. 25, in page 31, line 12, leave out clause 76—[Jim Knight.]

Clause 77


Interpretation



Amendment made: No. 26, in page 31, line 33, leave out clause 77—[Jim Knight.]

Clause 89


Financial Assistance



Amendments made: No. 27, in page 37, line 5, after 'matter', insert 'related to or'.

No. 28, in page 37, line 14, after 'by', insert 'or through'. —[Jim Knight.]


 
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Schedule 4


Joint Nature Conservation Committee



Amendment made: No. 29, in page 52, line 6, at end insert—



'(   )   Before appointing any members under paragraph 1(1), the Secretary of State must consult the National Assembly for Wales, the Scottish Ministers and the relevant Northern Ireland department.'.—[Jim Knight.]

Schedule 5


Enforcement Powers in Connections With Wildlife



Amendment made: No. 30, in page 58, line 15, after '(2)' insert '—



(a)   after "is committing" insert "or has committed", and



(b)   .'.—[Jim Knight.]

Schedule 7


Designated Bodies



Amendments made: No. 31, in page 63, line 21, at end insert—



   '   A local authority (as defined by section (Interpretation)).



      A National Park authority established for a National Park in England.'.

No. 32, in page 63, line 30, at end insert—



   '   The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England.'.

No. 33, in page 64, leave out line 1. —[Jim Knight.]

Schedule 11


Minor and Consequential Amendments



Amendment made: No. 34, in page 69, line 13, leave out from 'if' to end of line 21 and insert—



', for the purposes of an agreement under Chapter 1 of Part 8 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2005 (agreements with designated bodies), references to an officer of the appropriate Minister authorised by general or special directions given by him were references to a person authorised by the appropriate Minister by general or special directions given by him.".'.—[Jim Knight.]

Order for Third Reading read.—[Queen's consent, on behalf of the Crown, and Prince of Wales's consent, on behalf of the Duchy of Cornwall, signified.]

9.13 pm

Jim Knight: I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time.

It has given me great pleasure to introduce the Bill and take it through the House. It lays the foundations for a more holistic and, I believe, more effective approach aimed at ensuring a high-quality natural environment and thriving rural communities. It has had an interesting and fairly rapid journey from its publication in draft in February this year to its Third Reading today. For the most part, it has been a fairly smooth process, for which I thank Members on both sides of the House, particularly the hon. Members for South-East Cambridgeshire (Mr. Paice) and for South-East Cornwall (Mr. Breed), who led for the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats respectively. I enjoyed working with them on a constructive basis. We
 
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engaged in extensive pre-legislative scrutiny, debate and dialogue, which has helped to shape our approach to the Bill. I am grateful, not least to Lord Haskins, who undertook much public consultation and dialogue before producing the report on which we drew in framing the Bill, and the previous Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, which carried out formal pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill, as well as scrutiny of the rural strategy itself. I must also give special mention to Lord Whitty, the former Bill Minister, from whom I took over the lead on the Bill in May.

I confess to being daunted by the prospect of taking such an important Bill through the Commons so early in my ministerial career. In fact, the Bill was the first Bill to receive a Second Reading in this Parliament. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the constructive cross-party spirit in which the Bill was scrutinised, and impressed by the probing questions posed by members of all parties, all of whom had clearly given much thought to the issues.

On Second Reading, we heard a number of maiden speeches. I am delighted that some of those who made them stayed with us in Committee, even if they have been unable to stay until Third Reading. [Interruption.] I beg the pardon of the hon. Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr. Goodwill), who I recall made a very good maiden speech on Second Reading and who is here now.

Having faced a Standing Committee for the first time as a Minister, I have great respect for the rigour of the process. The amendments that I have moved today reflect points raised in Committee, and, as I have said today, I am still considering some of the points raised then. I will listen carefully to the arguments advanced in the other place, while also reflecting on those advanced this evening, and expect the Government to table Lords amendments.

I especially thank the right hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Mr. Forth) and my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Janet Anderson) for chairing our Committee proceedings so ably. I also thank all who have spoken today.

The context of the Bill is the vision of rural England set out less than a year ago in the Government's rural strategy. It is a vision of a better quality of life for all, with particular emphasis on improving the quality of life for the most disadvantaged; a vision of a conserved and enhanced environment that everyone can enjoy and from which everyone can benefit; a vision at whose heart is the pursuit of sustainable development, so that social, economic and environmental issues are taken into account in the shaping of policy.

The Bill will establish Natural England, a new agency that will act as an independent and powerful guardian of our natural environment. For people in rural areas, it will establish the commission for rural communities, a strong, independent rural advocate, adviser and watchdog. It will also implement a number of important improvements to wildlife, national parks and rights of way legislation, all of which follow lengthy consultation. Let me give just a few examples. There is a package of amendments to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, intended to improve protection for native animal and plant species, and a new provision on the possession of pesticides designed to help prevent their abuse for the killing of wild birds and animals.
 
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The main public interest, of course, has related to the rights of way provisions. The Bill places important limits on the establishment of rights of way for mechanically propelled vehicles by limiting vehicular rights that can be recorded on local authorities' definitive maps and statements. The package curtailing historic rights, clarifying the use of TROs and extending powers to national parks authorities, and the commencement of the provisions as soon as possible, will—I hope—resolve the difficult and growing problem of damage to our historic trails.

I commend the Bill. It is better for land managers, good for rural communities, and great for the environment.

9.18 pm


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