§ Mr. Allan RobertsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the Ramsar sites listed in the United Kingdom, their area where known and date of listing; and if he will give the number and area of Ramsar sites which have been listed by other signatories to the Ramsar convention.
§ Mr. MoynihanThe sites in the United Kingdom, listed under the Ramsar convention are:
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Name County/Region Date Designated Area (ha) The Dee Estuary Merseyside, Cheshire and Clwyd 17 July 1985 13,055 Derwent Ings North Yorkshire and Humberside 17 July 1985 783 Holborn Moss Northumberland 17 July 1985 22 Irthinghead Mires Cumbria and Northumberland 17 July 1985 608 The Swale Kent 17 July 1985 5,835 Alt Estuary Merseyside 28 November 1985 1,160 Leighton Moss Lancashire 28 November 1985 124 Martin Mere Lancashire 28 November 1985 119 Loch Eye Highland 23 September 1986 195 Loch Skene Grampian 23 September 1986 125 Rockliffe Marshes (Part of Upper Solway Flats and Marshes) Cumbria 23 September 1986 1,897 Chichester and Langstone Harbours Hampshire/West Sussex 28 October 1987 5,764 Upper Severn Estuary Gloucestershire 5 February 1988 1,357 The Wash Lincolnshire/Norfolk 30 March 1988 63,124 Pagham Harbour West Sussex 30 March 1988 615 As at 19 April 1988, a total of 366 sites, covering some 29,703,635 hectares had been listed by the 47 other contracting parties to the convention.
§ Mr. Allan RobertsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many staff in his Department are working on the listing and designation of Ramsar sites and special protection areas as at 1 April; and what are the comparable figures for the years 1984 and 1986.
§ Mr. MoynihanLead responsibility for the consideration of proposals from the NCC for the classification of Ramsar sites and special protection areas in England and Wales rests with a branch of the Department's wildlife division. This branch currently comprises four staff, as compared with five in 1984 and 1986. In dealing with Ramsar and SPA proposals, they consult extensively with officials in this and other Departments and in accordance with the voluntary approach to which we are committed, with other relevant interests. They are engaged also on a wide range of other activities concerned with habitat conservation. Responsibility for classification of Ramsar sites and SPAs elsewhere in the United Kingdom rests with the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland as appropriate.