Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

moved Amendment No. 93:"Page 6, line 25, at end insert ““as soon as is reasonably practicable after giving the guidance””" The noble Baroness said: My Lords, in Committee, we were asked by the noble Duke, the Duke of Montrose, to consider whether any guidance issued by the Secretary of State should be published ““comtemporaneously””. We could not accept that wording but could not argue with the logic and principle of his amendment and undertook to come back to the matter on Report. We believe that there ought to be a degree of consistency in the Bill and, once we had decided that it was right to publish such decisions as soon as was practicable, we could see no good justification for not applying it to all decisions made by the Secretary of State under the Bill. Therefore, this group of government amendments adds various requirements that the Secretary of State should publish the directions, guidance and lists which he may issue under the Bill,"““as soon as is reasonably practicable””" after their issue. I hope that the noble Duke is pleased with the response. I commend the other amendments in the group, and I beg to move.