§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the badger population in Wales, and if he will make a statement. [59516]
Mr. Jon Owen JonesWe have made no direct estimates of the badger population in Wales. A report to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (1995) based on surveys carried out in 1988 for the Nature Conservancy Council suggested a pre-breeding badger population size of 35,000 in Wales. A report by the People's Trust for Endangered Species (1997) suggests that badger activity in Britain increased by 77 per cent. between 1988 and 1997. I understand those responsible for producing these figures are reviewing them, although no revisions have been published yet.