§ LORD HURCOMBMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will state how many licences to take or import birds of prey and owls of each species were issued on the advice of the relevant Advisory Committee in 1970, or any convenient recent period; and how many birds of each species were actually so taken or imported.
THE MINISTER OF STATE, HOME OFFICE (VISCOUNT COLVILLE OF CULROSS)My Lords, in 1971, 132 licences, authorising a total of 136 birds of prey to be taken from the wild in Great Britain, were issued and 89 birds were actually taken. In the same year, a total of 370 licences were granted to import birds of prey and owls. Of the 583 birds covered by these licences, 327 were imported. As the analysis by species involves a considerable number of figures I shall, with permission, arrange for the details to be circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§
The following are the details referred to:
Control over the importation of birds of prey and owls came into effect on 1st July 1970 (Wild Birds (Importation) Order 1970). The figures below are for the calendar year 1971, which was the first full year of operation of importation controls.
| LICENCES TO TAKE BIRDS OF PREY AND OWLS FROM THE WILD IN GREAT BRITAIN IN 1971 | |
| Total number of licences issued | 132 |
| Total number of birds covered by the licences | 136 |
| Total number of birds taken | 89 |
| Species | Number of birds licensed | Number of birds taken |
| Kestrel | 85 | 57 |
| Buzzard | 16 | 11 |
| Sparrowhawk | 29 | 18 |
| Merlin | 6 | 3 |
| Owls | Nil | Nil |
| 136 | 89 |
| LICENCES TO IMPORT BIRDS OF PREY AND OWLS IN 1971 | |||
| Type of licence | Numberof licences | Number of birds licensed | Number of birds imported |
| (a) Permanent importation | 344 | 531 | 289 |
| (b) Temporary importation by visitors | 20 | 41 | 37 |
| (c)Re-importation of birds after visits abroad | 6 | 11 | 1 |
| Totals | 370 | 583 | 327 |
§ Details of species covered by the licences at (a) are set out below:—
| Species | Number of birds licensed | Number of birds imported |
| Kestrel | 14 | 14 |
| Lugger or Lagger Falcon | 89 | 42 |
| Lanner Falcon | 49 | 29 |
| Saker Falcon | 24 | 13 |
| Red-thighed Falconet | 5 | 5 |
| Merlin | 1 | 1 |
| Red-headed Merlin | 8 | 6 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 23 | 9 |
| Red Shaheen | 1 | Nil |
| Barbary Falcon | 1 | Nil |
| Goshawk | 164 | 72 |
| Sparrowhawk | 7 | 5 |
| Shikra | 18 | 8 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 2 | Nil |
| Snowy Owl | 7 | 7 |
| Eagle Owl | 9 | 5 |
| Malay Fish Owl | 1 | Nil |
| Dwarf Scops Owlets | 10 | 10 |
| Little Owl | 2 | Nil |
| Spectacled Owl | 2 | 2 |
| Red Kite | 2 | Nil |
| Species | Number of birds licensed | Number of birds imported |
| Black-shouldered Kite | 3 | 3 |
| Caracara | 3 | 3 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 12 | 10 |
| Buzzard | 1 | Nil |
| Red-tailed Buzzard | 7 | 2 |
| Asiatic Honey Buzzard | 2 | 2 |
| Harris's Hawk | 1 | 1 |
| Savannah Hawk | 3 | 3 |
| Mountain Hawk-eagle | 5 | 3 |
| Changeable or Crested Hawk-eagle | 12 | 9 |
| Blyth's Hawk-eagle | 2 | 1 |
| Asiatic Hawk-eagle | 2 | 1 |
| Bonelli's Eagle | 2 | Nil |
| Serpent Eagle | 2 | 2 |
| White Sea Eagle | 2 | 2 |
| Tawny Eagle | 6 | 4 |
| Wedge-tailed Eagle | 2 | 2 |
| Great Condor | 1 | 1 |
| Griffin Vulture | 6 | 4 |
| King Vulture | 4 | 3 |
| Common Vulture | 1 | 1 |
| Black Vulture | 2 | Nil |
| Egyptian Vulture | 4 | 4 |
| Secretary Bird | 7 | Nil |
| Totals | 531 | 289 |
§ Details of species covered by licences at (b) and (c) are not readily available.
§ LORD HURCOMBMy Lords, in thanking the noble Viscount for that information, may I ask him if he has considered whether the gap between the number of licences issued and the number taken advantage of does not indicate either that there are not enough birds available to satisfy the number of licences issued or that the number of licences issued is in any case excessive?
VISCOUNT COLVILLE OF CULROSSMy Lords, I cannot tell offhand and I do not have the information to explain the discrepancy, but I shall gladly consider what the noble Lord has said. But the situation is fairly involved. We have, for instance, permanent importation; and there is also the temporary importation by visitors. I know that there is also the reimportation of birds after visits abroad, for which 11 birds were licensed but only one came back; and there is probably a number of different reasons for that sort of discrepancy.
§ LORD BARNBYMy Lords, since the noble Lord's Question covered all birds of prey, can the noble Viscount give an indication of what proportion of those would be owls, of which I think all bird lovers would particularly like to see an increase in this country?
VISCOUNT COLVILLE OF CULROSSMy Lords, the number of owls that actually came in—if I may leave aside the numbers that were licensed—was 7 Snowy Owls; 5 Eagle Owls; no Malay Fish Owls; 10 Dwarf Scops Owlets no Little Owls; and 2 Spectacled Owls.
§ LORD WYNNE-JONESMy Lords, has the number of birds of prey imported into this country increased since the present Government took office?
VISCOUNT COLVILLE OF CULROSSMy Lords, I do not think so, and there is no connection between that and Spectacled Owls.
§ LORD POPPLEWELLMy Lords, would the noble Viscount say for how long these licences are operative once they are issued?
VISCOUNT COLVILLE OF CULROSSMy Lords, for the period specified in the licence, which is not necessarily uniform.