§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Nature Conservancy Council applied for an order under section 29 of the Wildlife and 736W Countryside Act 1981 to protect the proposed sites of special scientific interest which were recently damaged or destroyed in Northamptonshire, Dumfries and Galloway.
§ Mr. WaldegraveNo. I understand that the site in Northampton was damaged during an extension to the three-month period which the NCC had agreed with the owner for negotiations to continue. An application for an order was considered by the NCC but not made.
I understand that the damage to the sites in Dumfries and Galloway occurred before formal notice of a proposed extension to an existing SSSI had been given.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in view of the recent destruction in Northamptonshire, Dumfries and Galloway, if he will now seek to amend the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to ensure that the opportunity to destroy or damage sites of special scientific interest available under section 28 of the Act is terminated.
§ Mr. WaldegraveWe are not convinced that the problems which have so far arisen amount to a case for immediate amending legislation. We are nevertheless keeping under review the working of this part of the Act. It is very much in the interests of all concerned to observe its spirit as well as its letter.