Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to increase the number of bridleways.

We currently do not have plans to increase the number of bridleways. We do plan, however, to implement a package of reforms to the way that rights of way are recorded on the definitive map and statement, which is the local authority’s legal record on public rights of way. We envisage that this will result in an increase in the number of bridleways shown on the definitive map and statement as being available for use by the public.