§ 3.52 p.m.
§ The Earl of CRANBROOKMy Lords, I beg to move that the House do now resolve itself into Committee on this Bill.
§ Moved, that the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(The Earl of Cranbrook.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.
§ House in Committee accordingly.
§ [The LORD ABERDARE in the Chair.]
§ The Earl of CRANBROOK moved Amendment No. 1:
§ Before Clause 1, insert the following new Clause:
§ Protected wild creatures to he known as endangered wild creatures.
§ ". In the principal Act, for the word "protected" wherever it occurs, there shall be substituted the word "endangered".
The noble Earl saidThis is the first of a number of Amendments bringing the Act of 1975 into line with the categories of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Since the Second Reading, as the noble Baroness opposite invited me to, I have held consultations with representatives of her Department and of the NCC. As a result of their advice I have put down Amendments which would ensure that the Bill has but two Schedules defined, as are the first and second categories laid down by the IUCN, as endangered and vulnerable, and using the exact words and some of the exact phrases to define them.
Those categories have long been used internationally. They are now being used in this country to produce what are known as "Red Data Books" dividing all our flora and fauna into the three categories of endangered, vulnerable, and rare. A list of plants so divided has already been published. Lists of vertebrates and most of the insects are about to be published. It seems obviously sensible to bring the 1975 Act into line with those categories of the IUCN. Although we spoke about the creatures on Schedule 1 being endangered, they are in fact defined in the Act as protected. Indeed, 254 the otter, you will remember, was added to Schedule I because it was endangered. This Amendment substitutes "endangered" for "protected" throughout that Act. I beg to move.
On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§
The Earl of CRANBROOK moved Amendment No. 2:
Before Clause I, insert the following new clause:
§ Further restriction on killing etc. endangered wild creatures
§ ". In section 1 of the principal Act the words from "Provided" onwards shall be omitted."
The noble Earl saidThis is another Amendment bringing the provisions of the 1975 Act into line with existing Acts. Under the Protection of Birds Act the authorised person may not kill the endangered birds on Schedule 1 even when they are doing damage. That seems to me to be going rather too far, and to cover any difficulty which may arise over that I have put down Amendment No. 28 which gives the Ministry of Agriculture the power to authorise the killing of an endangered or vulnerable species doing serious damage. That will come on later. I beg to move.
On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ Lord STRABOLGII suggest, with the leave of the Committee, that this may be the proper moment to hear the Statement being made in another place on immigration, by my noble and learned friend. I beg to move that the House do now resume.
§ Moved accordingly, and, on Question, Motion agreed to.
§ House resumed.