§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment for what reasons he decided to allocate to the282W Nature Conservancy Council for 1989–90 less than the council requested; and what criteria he used in deciding the amount of the allocation.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe Nature Conservancy Council's alocation for 1989–90 is based on the forward planning figures first notified to the council in November 1987, together with an additional sum of £0.5 million towards new expenditure which the council expects to incur in protecting important wildlife habitats in Caithness and Sutherland.
The allocation will allow the council to fulfil its essential commitments, and is set in the context of the Government's wider policy of restraining public expenditure. The scope for the Nature Conservancy Council to improve its efficiency and generate more revenue from publications and research was also taken into account.