§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is yet in a postion to list as special protection areas under EEC directive 79/409 on the conservation of wild birds (a) Morecambe Bay, (b) the Wash, (c) the Severn estuary, including the Taff/Ely estuary site of special scientific interest, (d) Chichester and Langstone harbours, (e) Duich Moss, (f) Islay, (g) the Solway firth and (h) the Mersey estuary.
§ Mrs. RumboldMy officials are currently considering proposals from the Nature Conservancy Council for the listing of the Wash, Chichester and Langstone harbours, Duich Moss and the Mersey estuary sites. The listing of these sites involves a number of complex and sensitive issues which we shall try to resolve as quickly as possible.
We have as yet received no proposals from the Nature Conservancy Council concerning the listing of the remaining sites.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those areas which have been notified as sites of special scientific interest by the Nature Conservancy Council and have subsequently been forwarded to him with the recommendation that they be listed as Ramsar sites or special protection areas; and if he will state the date on which those recommendations were received from the Nature Conservancy Council.
§ Mrs. RumboldMy Department is currently considering the following sites of special scientific interest for listing as Ramsar sites or special protection areas.
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Site Date Received in DOE The Wash (Ramsar/SPA) 16 March 1984 Loch Eye (Ramsar/SPA) 10 September 1985 Loch of Skene (Ramsar/SPA) 10 September 1985 Mersey Estuary (Ramsar/SPA) 28 November 1985 Chichester and Langstone Harbours (Ramsar/SPA) 13 December 1985 Orwell and Stour Estuaries (Ramsar/SPA) 17 January 1986 Medway Estuary (Ramsar/SPA) 7 April 1986 Priest Island (SPA) 15 April 1986 Islay (inc. Duich Moss) (Ramsar/SPA) 16 May 1986