§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total amount of public money spent on compensation to owners of sites of special scientific interest in Scotland for each year since 1982; and where each one of those sites is located.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 6 February 1989]: The Nature Conservancy Council is empowered to enter into management agreements with owners or occupiers of land designated as a site of special scientific interest, or within a national nature reserve. Details of individual payments are confidential, but data on the numbers and costs of such payments are published in the Nature Conservancy Council's annual reports, copies of which are in the Library.