§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions his Department has issued licences to trap glis glis during each of the last five years; under what circumstances and to whom such licences were issued; how many animals were taken; and what conditions he imposed on the handling and disposal of the trapped animals.
§ Mr. TrippierLicences to trap glis glis have been issued on two occasions to the seven local authorities within whose boundaries the species occurs. The first licence ran from June 1987 to February 1988 and the current one from March 1989 to February 1991. These licences were issued for the purpose of preserving public health or public safety or preventing serious damage to property. A total of 102 animals were taken under the first licence; figures for the numbers taken in the first year of the second licence will be available shortly. The current licence is subject to specific conditions which were introduced following consultation with the Nature Conservancy Council. One of these obliges the licensee to send a written report to the Secretary of State detailing numbers of animals taken and killed, numbers taken and released elsewhere, if any, numbers taken and disposed of in another manner, to be specified; the type of trap or traps used; the particular circumstances that justified the taking of the animals.