§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he intends to issue any guidance to the proposed Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland for the purposes of conserving land which is of national importance for nature conservation as provided for in section 29 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonSection 29 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides powers to the Secretary of State to make nature conservation orders. Such an order is made only where there is a dispute between the Nature Conservancy Council and a landowner about land notified by the council as a site of special scientific interest under section 28 of the Act. There are no powers for the Secretary of State to issue guidance to the council under either section 28 or section 29 of the Act.