Commons Bill [HL]

I thank the Minister for his comments on our contributions. Will he confirm—I think he nearly did—that the facilities within the CROW Act will be dealt with equally? Or do they take precedence over what is proposed in his amendment? The management rights of common land are enormously important. We have talked about sheep, but one could talk equally about wildlife and birds, which is a hugely important topic. When we were taking the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill through—he will be thankful that he was not here to sit for the hours that we sat on that Bill—that was one of the big debating points. I hope that some of the wildlife groups realise why we fought carefully to try to have a balance between access and the protection of breeding and other issues which are essential if wildlife is to be established and do well. I did not hear in his answer whether the two measures will sit side by side or one will take precedence. Not today, but later, we will need to give thought to how we can ensure that the freedoms that come with access—which I know people will enjoy and use, because that is what it is about—do not lead people to act detrimentally as regards those who work the land or belong to the commons associations. So it is not just about sheep or horses but also about the greater wildlife and how these two measures can sit side by side and operate successfully within the same ambit.