Nature Conservancy Council (Hansard, 8 February 1984)

§ 2. Mr. Hardy
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes announcing his decision on staffing of the Nature Conservancy Council.

§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. William Waldegrave)
My right hon. Friend expects to be in a position to make an announcement shortly.

§ Mr. Hardy
I do not expect the Minister to tell us exactly what the improvements will be, but does he accept that an increase in resources and staffing of the Nature Conservancy Council is desperately required and that the conservation world believes that unless there is an improvement the present arrears of achievement will become much worse?

§ Mr. Waldegrave
The hon. Gentleman puts his question fairly. We are having discussions with the chairman of the council about this matter. As the hon. Gentleman knows, last year we allowed the staffing numbers to be increased to meet the registration of sites of special scientific interest to go forward more quickly. We are aware of the pressures on the NCC.

§ Sir Hector Monro
Will my hon. Friend bear in mind that if we are to make substantial progress with the notification of SSSIs and management agreements it is important to have adequate staff on the ground, with time to discuss matters with farmers and to come to a decision with flexibility?

§ Mr. Waldegrave
My hon. Friend, who knows a great deal about this matter, is right. I think he will agree that there is a limit to the amount by which staff of the quality and experience needed can be increased, and the chairman has made that point to me.

§ Mr. Dalyell
In Committee on the Wildlife and Countryside Bill, as the hon. Member for Dumfries (Sir H. Morro) will remember, I spoke for an hour and 50 minutes—

§ Mr. Corbett
Not long enough.

§ Mr. Dalyell
Clearly not long enough—on the issue of the Halvergate marshes. Do the Government intend to do nothing to protect one of the last water meadows in Europe—the Halvergate marshes?

§ Mr. Waldegrave
The Government have already taken action and told the Broads authority that it can spend up to 75 per cent. of the cost of any management agreement entered into. That is an advance on 50 per cent., which is the normal provision. I hope that, on that basis, the management agreements will be achieved.

§ Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
If my hon. Friend looks at the facts, he will see that by 1 January only 714 out of the 4,000 SSSIs had been renotified and only 142 new SSSIs had been notified. If we are to protect the habitats that are at the core of conservation, this year we must make more rapid progress with notification.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
Those are the very matters under discussion between the Department and the chairman of the NCC.