§ Rev. William McCreaTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy to preserve the Curran bog and other areas of bogland left in the Province.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe Government's policy on the conservation of peatland in Northern Ireland is set out in the document "Conserving Peatland in Northern Ireland —a Statement of Policy" issued on 23 June 1993. This states, at paragraph 2.5:—
It is the Department's intention to declare all remaining areas of intact lowland raised bog as Areas of Special Scientific Interest where they meet the minimum scientific criteria".In this context, the Department of the Environment is reassessing the scientific interest of a number of lowland bogs that were not in the first round of declarations. Curran bog will be re-evaluated as part of that exercise, and I will write to the hon. Gentleman once that process is complete.