Nature Reserves (Hansard, 17 February 1988)

§ 1. Mr. James Lamond
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to be in a position to state his policy towards the transfer of the management of state-owned national nature reserves to voluntary bodies or the private sector.

§ The Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. Nicholas Ridley)
The Nature Conservancy Council is conducting a review of its national nature reserve policy, which is due to be completed later this year. I would also refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave on 13 January, in which the Government's policy towards the ownership of land by non-departmental public bodies, including the NCC, was set out.

§ Mr. Lamond
As the NCC is funded by the Secretary of State, through the Treasury, is it not more likely to bend to his will, even though no voluntary organisations could possibly buy land from it? Is the Secretary of State not concerned that, last year alone, over 200 privately owned sites of special scientific interest were destroyed? Why does the Secretary of State not drop the daftest idea that he has yet had?

§ Mr. Ridley
I hope that, as the NCC is funded by the taxpayer, it will bend to the will of the taxpayer, as the hon. Gentleman suggested. The loophole to which he referred was closed by legislation, as he should know.

§ Sir John Farr
Whether or not such rights are eventually transferred from the state to some other body, will my right hon. Friend make absolutely sure that public rights of access that already exist are preserved in future?

§ Mr. Ridley
Yes. A year ago, of the 160,000 hectares of national nature reserves only 43,000 were publicly owned. It is important that public rights of access should be preserved, and they are preserved under many different statutes.

§ Dr. Cunningham
The Secretary of State must be aware that important bodies, such as the Royal Society for Nature Conservation, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and others, have expressed grave reservations about the wisdom of the proposal to dispose of national sites and parts of our national heritage. If he is to ask such bodies — many of which manage such sites efficiently 960 and have a proven track record—to take responsibility for more of our national heritage, will he clearly and unequivocally provide the necessary funding for them to do so? If he does not do so, their job will simply be beyond them.

§ Mr. Ridley
The hon. Gentleman does not seem to have quite got it right. Three quarters of the sites are in private ownership and are well looked after by private individuals at their own expense. If there is to be a supplement from public funds to the management of nature reserves, t can be done through the SSSI management agreements. That system is proceeding satisfactorily. However, I do not believe that the Nature Conservancy Council should be a way of achieving the nationalisation of land.

Mr. John M. Taylor
Does my right hon. Friend agree that the state has no particular flair for managing nature reserves, any more than it has any particular gift for making motor cars? Will he not get better value for money out of genuine enthusiasts, anyway?

§ Mr. Ridley
I tend to agree with my hon. Friend's sentiments. All that I have asked the NCC to do is to review its holdings to see whether, perhaps, some should be added to or substracted from them.