§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the estimated population in England of(a) barn owls and (b) tawny owls; and what steps he is taking to protect owl populations;
(2) what is the estimated annual death toll of (a) barn owls and (b) tawny owls; and what percentage of deaths in each case are ascribed to (i) traffic, (ii) pesticide or other chemical poisoning, (iii) loss of habitat, (iv) starvation and (v) other causes.
§ Mr. TrippierThe current British populations of barn owls and tawny owls are estimated at 4,400 and 50,000–100,000 breeding pairs, respectively. Overall annual mortality rates cannot be estimated, but of those birds reported as found dead 30 per cent. of both species had died from collisions with traffic.
10WAll wild owls in Britain are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; the barn owl is included in schedule 1 to the Act as a particularly endangered species protected by special penalties.