HL Deb 10 October 1988 vol 500 c713WA
Lord Blease

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Pursuant to their reply of 27th June (HL. deb. cols. 1285-1286), whether and to what extent the number of staff in the Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland, working on the identification and designation of Ramsar sites and special protection areas in the Province is proportionately comparable to the number of staff of the Nature Conservancy Council working on these in Great Britain, and whether it will be increased.

Lord Lyell

At present the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland has no staff working either exclusively or mainly on the identification and designation of Ramsar sites and special protection areas. However, eight staff are involved in work being done in connection with areas of special scientific interest which will of course be of value when considering future designations.