Habitats (Hansard, 16 December 1993)

§ Mr. Chris Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his plans for implementation of the EC habitats and species directive will give protection to important wildlife sites additional to that provided under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

§ Mr. Yeo
All land-based sites designated as special areas of conservation under the EC habitats directive will have already been designated as SSSIs and subject to the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Additional measures required to meet the site protection requirements of the EC habitats directive, including those required for conservation of the marine environment, are set out in the Government's public consultation paper, a copy of which is in the House Library.

§ Mr. Simon Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 25 November,Official Report, column 189, whether he has committed his Department to regular meetings with the statutory nature conservation bodies specifically on the transposition of the EC habitats and species directive since 16 November.

§ Mr. Yeo
My Department is in continual contact with the statutory nature conservation agencies about the EC habitats directive. Regular meetings and frequent ad hoc contacts will continue as work on transposition proceeds.

§ Mr. Simon Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how he intends to implement those parts of the EC habitats directive relating to favourable conservation status outside protected areas such as sites of special scientific interest.

§ Mr. Yeo
We already have in place a number of policies and programmes to promote the conservation of wildlife in the wider countryside, for example, environmentally sensitive areas, countryside stewardship, species recovery programmes, forestry policies. These will be taken forward in the context of the biodiversity action plan to be published in January after the House returns.

§ Mr. Simon Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will appoint a lead agency in each country to oversee the implementation of the EC habitats and species directive.

§ Mr. Yeo
The Government are responsible for implementation of the EC habitats directive, advised by the relevant country Nature Conservation Agency (English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage, or the Countryside Council for Wales). Amendments to the powers and duties of Government, the nature conservation agencies and other bodies thought necessary to secure full implementation of the directive, were set out in the Government's recent public consultation paper, the responses to which are being considered. A copy of the consultation paper has been deposited in the House Library.
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§ Mr. Simon Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action is being taken to safeguard threatened peatbogs under the EC habitats and species directive.

§ Mr. Yeo
A number of peatland habitat types are listed on annex I of the EC habitats directive, signifying that they are habitat types of Community interest whose conservation requires the designation of special areas of conservation (SACs).
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the country nature conservation agencies are currently working on their advice on the national list of sites to be submitted to the Commission by June 1995. It is too early to name sites likely to appear on this list, but peatland sites will be included in accordance with the directive's criteria.
As stated in the consultation paper issued on 4 October, the Government is committed to introducing regulations to implement the directive, including the site protection requirements of article 6.