§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps the Government have taken to fulfil their obligations under the European Union Habitats Directive; what areas remain outstanding; and if he will make a statement. [28159]
§ Angela EagleThe European Union Habitats Directive was transposed into UK law through The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 and The Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995. We have submitted 262 areas covering 1,526,817.62 hectares to the European Commission as part of our obligation to put forward a list of candidate Special Areas of Conservation. We have recently consulted on further areas and will be submitting additional sites in the coming weeks.