§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many sites of special scientific interest have been damaged or destroyed by farming or forestry operations carried out in contravention of the statutory provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 since the Act came into force; how many possible cases of such damage or destruction of SSSIs are currently under investigation by the Nature Conservancy Council to determine whether the provisions of the Act have been broken; and in how many cases (a) prosecutions have been initiated, and (b) possible prosecutions are currently being considered.
§ Lord SkelmersdaleThe Nature Conservancy Council is currently conducting a review of damage to SSSIs from all causes, and a detailed analysis of the results will be published in due course.
780WAFive cases are currently under investigation by the NCC to determine whether the provisions of the Act have been contravened, and whether prosecutions should be initiated. No prosecutions have been initiated to date.