§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of badger setts, by county, closed or otherwise, seriously interfered with by or under licence from his Department's officials between 18 January and 15 March.
§ Mr. David HuntDuring the period in question, two licences were issued by the Department permitting interference with one badger sett in Clwyd and one in Gwynedd.
§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many applications he has received under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 to enter dogs into setts; how many have been granted; and when, where and for what purpose.
§ Mr. David HuntThe Department has received four applications for licences to permit the entry of dogs into badger setts, only one of which has been approved. On 12 March, a licence was granted to allow the introduction of a dog into a sett near Denbigh, Clwyd for fox control purposes.
§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what conditions he has applied to licences granted for the purpose of entering dogs into badger setts.
§ Mr. David HuntThe conditions for the one licence issued were that the licence was valid for a single day, that 139W a wildlife expert from the agricultural development and advisory service would be in attendance and that the operation should cease if there was any evidence of disturbance to badgers.