HC Deb 14 May 1984 vol 60 cc37-8W
Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many management agreements have been reached between local authorities and landowners under section 39 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act; and if he will (a) give details of the financial arrangements for each site and (b) specify the conservation interest of each site.

Mr. Waldegrave

Full information about agreements reched between local authorities and landowners under section 39 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act is not readily available. However, in 1983–84 the Countryside Commission paid, or offered to pay, grant towards the cost of eight agreements of significance.

For reasons of confidentiality it would not be right to disclose details of the financial arrangements for each site concerned, but in 1983–84 the total cost of six of the eight agreements amounted to £77,167. No payments were made during that year in respect of the other two agreements.

destroyed during the three-month period following service of a notice under section 28(2) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. In some cases the damage has been slight: in two cases—Gillet's meadow and Kingsthorpe scrub field—the NCC considers that the scientific interest of the whole site has been destroyed.

The conservation interest of the land varied, ranging from upland moorland to wetland.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will (a) give details of the management agreements drawn up by the Nature Conservancy Council to protect each national nature reserve, (b) list the overall cost of each agreement and (c) give details of the site.

Mr. Waldegrave

The management agreements are private arrangements between the council and the owners and it is not, accordingly, the practice to disclose details of them. However, I am informed that 84 out of the total of 195 declared national nature reserves are covered in whole or part by nature reserve agreements. These affect a total area of 89,708 hectares at an annual cost of approximately £130,000.