To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to simplify the legislation to enable commoning of common land to take place more easily; and if he will make a statement. (97399)

Rights of common remain rooted in the common law. The Commons Act 2006 reforms legislation relating to the registration, management and protection of common land, but leaves these common law rules largely unchanged. The Act enables the improved agricultural management of common land by statutory commons councils consisting of representatives of commoners and others with interests in the land at a local level.