HC Deb 22 January 1986 vol 90 cc298-9
10. Mr. Wainwright

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sites of special scientific interest or sites about to be so designated have been damaged or destroyed since the introduction of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

The Nature Conservancy Council has advised me that since the Act was introduced just over 500 sites have been damaged. In most cases the damage was relatively minor and short-term. That can be compared to more than 5,000 sites of special scientific interest which the Nature Conservancy Council has identified.

Mr. Wainwright

Is the Secretary of State aware that some of the worse cases of organised vandalism against scientific knowledge have been perpetrated by public statutory bodies? Will he now review the working of this part of the Wildlife and Countryside Act in order more effectively to restrain public bodies from their destructive intentions?

Mr. Baker

If the hon. Gentleman will give me details of specific cases I shall personally investigate them, because I am as concerned as he is about the loss of and damage to these sites.

Mr. Kenneth Carlisle

Does my right hon. Friend agree that sites of special scientific interest will continue to be under threat until notification is completed? Although the Nature Conservancy Council has been greatly helped by the substantial extra funds provided by the Government, will my right hon. Friend tell us when notification will be completed?

Mr. Baker

My hon. Friend is on to a good point. The chairman has said in his report that he hopes that the process of notification of the sites to all owners will be completed this year. He will be helped in that by the considerable extra funding that we have provided for the NCC this year — an extra £9.4 million. That is a substantial increase, which follows a 25 per cent. increase last year, and is money well spent.

Mr. Hardy

Does the right hon. Gentleman share our hopes that the loss of such valuable sites, which are extremely important parts of our natural heritage, will soon end? If that is achieved, will it not be largely due to the amending legislation introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark)? Is it not rather a pity that the Government sought to take all the credit for that advance?

Mr. Baker

I would not give the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark) all the credit, but the amendment that he helped to put on the statute book last year certainly helped. However, the essence of this is the resources which the Government will make available. It is the resources which will save the sites. We have put our money where our environmental mouth is.