§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he plans to take to prevent American bullfrogs from entering British waterways. [40413]
§ Mr. ClappisonThe north American bullfrog is covered by the provisions of section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to release, or allow to escape into the wild, any animal which is not ordinarily resident in, and is not a regular visitor to Great Britain. A person found guilty of an offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £5,000; or on conviction on indictment to a potentially unlimited fine.
We are consulting English Nature, our statutory scientific advisers, about recent reports of small numbers seen in the wild.