§ Mr. RandallTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are the terms of reference and objectives of the Peat Working Group; what is its membership; and if he will make a statement. [22264]
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§ Mr. RaynsfordThe terms of reference and objectives of the Peat Working Group are: to advise my Department about current peat extraction and usage having regard to the overall peatland resource in Britain and the place of imports and alternatives, and to the Government's general policies for reconciling the supply of minerals with sustainable development; and to monitor, at a national level, guidance in respect of: development control over existing extraction sites; rehabilitation of existing workings; and future land-use issues affecting peatlands, especially the nature conservation of, and extraction from, lowland peat mires.
The membership of the Peat Working Group is drawn from the following organisations:
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee
- English Nature
- Countryside Council for Wales
- Scottish Natural Heritage
- Countryside Commission
- Planning Officers Society
- Forestry Authority
- ADAS
- Peat Producers Association
- Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
- Scottish Office
- Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Chair and secretariat).