§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to save peat bogs from destruction and to treat the threat as a national heritage crisis; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanThe Government fully recognise the need for conserving peat bogs which are of nature conservation importance and are actively taking steps to resolve conflicts between peat extraction and nature conservation. As my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary announced on 7 July 1992 in answer to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson)Official Report column 158, my Department has set up a working group to advise on peat extraction and related matters. We have also commissioned research to prepare guidance on the rehabilitation of peatlands affected by peat extraction and, supported a number of initiatives to safeguard key bogs in England and Wales from further peat extraction.