§ Mr. BrazierTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wyre (Mr. Mans) of 23 November 1989,Official Report, columns 16–17, whether he intends the proposed country agencies of the Nature Conservancy Council to have responsibility for making nature reserve agreements under section 16 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.
§ Mr. TrippierYes. Amendments to the 1949 Act contained in paragraph 1(2) and (3) of schedule 6 to the Environmental Protection Bill which is currently before Parliament are intended to achieve this.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Linlithgow of 1 February,Official Report, column 245, what is the maximum number of new members appointed to the Nature Conservancy Council or its predecessor bodies with effect from the same date; and on what date and on how many occasions there have been more than 18 members on the council.
§ Mr. Trippier[holding answer 5 March 1990]: The maximum number of new members appointed to the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) with effect from the same date is 11 from 1 November 1973. From 1 April 1989 until 28 September 1989, there were 19 members on the council. On no other occasion have there been more than 18 members. Information on the NCC's predecessor bodies is not readily available.