§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the reasons he gave the Nature Conservancy Council for not providing it with additional funding to assist in the purchase of fenns and whixhall mosses.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryWe expect the Council to make the safeguarding of important sites a top priority when disbursing the grant in aid it receives from my Department each year. Its grant in aid was increased by almost £4 million to £44.069 million this year and should have been more than sufficient for the purchase of the fenns and whixall mosses. We do not retain funds within the Department for site acquistion.