§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they can confirm that drainage works carried out on Benbecula in the Western Isles during 1980 damaged the habitat of the red-necked phalarope, a species listed on Annex 1 of Directive 79/409/EEC, and whether the Nature Conservancy Council objected to these works.
§ The Earl of AvonI am advised that drain clearance works, to which the Nature Conservancy Council did not object, were carried out on the main field drain between Balivanich and Liniclate in Benbecula in 1980. I am further advised that the Nature Conservancy Council has found no evidence to indicate that this work damaged the habitat of the red-necked phalarope.