§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what discussions he has had with the Council of Welsh Districts and the Assembly of Welsh Counties with respect to the shift in monitoring of small sites of special scientific interest from the Countryside Council for Wales to local authorities;
(2) what assessment he has made of the scientific competence of local authorities with respect of their monitoring of small sites of scientific interest;
(3) what additional funding will be made available to Welsh local authorities to enable them to carry out effective monitoring of small sites of scientific interest.
§ Mr. RedwoodNo decisions have yet been taken on the extent to which local authorities in Wales will be involved in the oversight and monitoring of small sites of special scientific interest. No new duties will be imposed on local authorities in Wales. Although no discussions have yet taken place, I fully intend involving local authority associations in discussions on how their members might become more involved in local nature conservation and countryside matters. I would expect these discussions to cover the questions of resources and scientific competence.