EU Habitats Directive

HC Deb 19 July 1995 vol 263 cc1381-2W

Mr. Spellar

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his Department's policy regarding compliance with the EU habitats directive with particular reference to the designation of special areas of conservation. [34269]

Mr. Moss

The Government welcomed the adoption of the EU habitats directive in May 1992 and is fully committed to its implementation. Sites identified as meeting the criteria for designation as special areas of conservation are selected on a UK basis by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland, English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage, and the Countryside Council for Wales, co-ordinated through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. On 31 March 1995 the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Environment initiated a public consultation on these sites, and as a result of the responses received a first tranche of 137 was forwarded to the European Commission on 20 June 1995. There were 14 sites in Northern Ireland in this tranche.