§ 30. Mr. KilfedderTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on conservation in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleySince replying to the hon. Gentleman on 1 March 1990, at columns307–8 with a detailed statement on conservation of the environment in Northern Ireland, there have been some further developments.
Two new areas of special scientific interest, Moninea bog and Fairy Water bogs, have been declared bringing the number of ASSIs to 26. A further 73 historic buildings have been listed bringing the total to 7,685.
The Department of the Environment's planning service has been considering a report by Professor John Hendry of Queen's university who has proposed that the Department should consider designating a further 28 conservation areas in addition to the 26 already designated and the eight proposed in the Belfast urban plan. Two of the 36 proposed conservation areas—Ballycastle and the cathedral area in Belfast—were designated in June.
On 9 July 1990 the Department of Agriculture issued its document "Countryside Management" which outlines its strategy on conservation. I shall arrange for a copy to be sent to the hon. Gentleman. We look forward to receiving the report from the Select Committee on the Environment and to the first report for the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside.
The size of the directorate in the Department of the Environment is to be doubled.