§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to ensure that the Government's biodiversity action plan will include an objective to avoid the loss of important biodiversity sites to transport developments.
§ Mr. NorrisThe Government will consider the implications for biodiversity when formulating and reviewing transport policies and will ensure that biodiversity objectives are fully taken into account in the assessment of new transport infrastructure.
We have a long-standing policy of keeping transport infrastructure away from protected areas such as sites of special scientific interest, wherever possible.
§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the biodiversity action plan will allow for the re-routing of ships to avoid marine areas of special interest for wildlife.
§ Mr. NorrisThe Government have already agreed with the International Maritime Organisation a number of routing measures to reduce the risk of oil pollution around the United Kingdom coast.
An amended "Area to be Avoided" off the Shetland islands and new "Areas to be Avoided" off Orkney and around Fair Isle came into force on 28 November. Specific recommendations, most of which include prescribed routes, also came into force covering the Pentland firth, the Isles of Scilly, the Minch, the North channel, off Smalls and Grassholme channel, the Needles channel, the English channel and Dover strait and the Firth of Forth.
The European Community is currently identifying sensitive areas which are at high risk from maritime traffic and further measures may be proposed by the Commission to protect these areas.