HC Deb 06 June 1996 vol 278 cc504-5W
Ms Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the recent change in status of the basking shark under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources red list will affect the proposal to protect the species under section 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 currently under review; and if he will make a statement. [31334]

Mr. Clappison

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 8 May 1996,Official Report, column 134.

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the Government's statutory conservation adviser, will take account of all relevant conservation data, including the IUCN red list where appropriate, when considering which species should be protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as part of the third quinquennial review. The committee's recommendations to the Secretary of State are due to be submitted in October 1996.

Ms Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what programme of action his Department has to protect the basking shark under the EU habitats and species directive; and if he will make a statement. [31335]

Mr. Clappison

The basking shark is not listed in the annexes to Council directive 92/43/EEC—the habitats and species directive. Nor is it included in the list of species for which action plans will be prepared over the next three years under the United Kingdom biodiversity action plan.

Ms Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what work has been undertaken by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to assess the threats to the basking shark in United Kingdom waters over the last five years. [31337]

Mr. Clappison

The joint nature conservation committee and the Government's statutory conservation agencies have contributed funds to a number of research projects concerned with the status of the basking shark in British waters in the last five years.

These projects include acoustic tagging of basking sharks for tracking and monitoring, plankton and water quality sampling, and funding for a basking shark watch scheme. The JNCC has also supported several workshops which have brought together expertise and existing knowledge on basking sharks.