§ Mr. PendryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the resources available to English Nature to notify and protect those sites which are of special interest but which await notification or renotification as sites of special scientific interest.
§ Mr. MacleanResources for all English Nature's programmes are considered in assessing its corporate plan prior to the annual grant in aid allocation in the autumn. A 13 per cent. increase in grant in aid for 1992–93 was announced last year. The plan for 1993–96 is currently before me.
§ Mr. PendryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the chairman of English Nature on the fulfilment of English Nature's statutory duties to notify as sites of special scientific interest those areas of land which in its opinion are of special interest.
§ Mr. MacleanMinisters from this Department meet the chairman of English Nature on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues. I shall be meeting Lord Cranbrook on 8 July to discuss English Nature's corporate plan, which includes the provision to be made for the notification programme.
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§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many management agreements exist between owners and occupiers of sites of special scientific interest and English Nature; how many agreements have been reached in each of the last five years; and how many are estimated to be made in the current financial year and the next financial year.
§ Mr. MacleanThe information requested is as follows:
Financial year New cases Renewals Numbers reached in the last five years 1987–88 273 — 1988–89 313 — 1989–90 221 — 1990–91 323 — 1991–92 271 359 Estimated to he reached 1992–93 220 330 1993–94 200 350 Note: The number of management agreements reached under section 15 of the Countryside Act 1968 at 31 March 1992 was 1,584.
§ Mr. PendryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sites are awaiting notification or renotification as sites of special scientific interest; how many are likely to be notified by the end of March 1993; and when the sites of special scientific interest notification programme inherited from the Nature Conservancy Council will be complete.
§ Mr. MacleanI am advised by English Nature that at 31 March 1992, the renotification of sites in England was 97.7 per cent. complete; 54 sites originally notified under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 remain to be considered for notification under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. By the end of March 1993 the number of renotified and notified sites is expected to be 3,765. Thereafter, English Nature will notify sites as and when the appropriate scientific interest is identified.