§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment why Her Majesty's Government expressed objections on 24 November to the proposal to introduce a new European Community directive to protect threatened fauna, flora and habitats.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyAt the Environment Council in Brussels on 24 November, all member states unanimously rejected the rigid and bureaucratic directive that the Commission had proposed. There was general support for the United Kingdom's view that the Community could most usefully assist member states, where appropriate, to implement the relevant existing international conventions, particularly the Bern convention.