§ Mr. MooreTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Board of Scottish Natural Heritage has considered the River Tweed as a candidate Special Area of Conservation under the European Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and wild flora; and what was their decision. [88787]
§ Mr. Macdonald[holding answer 28 June 1999]: The Board of Scottish Natural Heritage considered the case for recommending the River Tweed as a candidate Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and concluded that it should be recommended as one.
It is, however, for the Government to decide what sites should be proposed to the European Commission as candidate Special Areas of Conservation. The Government decided, in the light of their own appraisal of the scientific case for this site, that the River Tweed should not be proposed as a candidate SAC.
The implementation of the Habitats Directive in Scotland is now a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
§ Mr. MooreTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library the scientific advice received from Scottish Natural Heritage concerning the notification of the River Tweed as a candidate Special Area of Conservation under the European Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild flora. [88788]
§ Mr. Macdonald[holding answer 28 June 1999]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith) by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment on 22 July 1999, Official Report, column 5860.
The implementation of the Habitats Directive in Scotland is now a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
§ Mr. MooreTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice he has received from Scottish Natural Heritage concerning the notification of the River Tweed as a candidate Special Area of Conservation under the European Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild flora. [88786]
§ Mr. Macdonald[holding answer 28 June 1999]: Scottish Natural Heritage advised The Scottish Office that they considered there was a strong case for proposing the River Tweed as a candidate Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
However, further scientific advice from Scottish Office specialist advisers and from the Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory indicated that there were reasons why, when applying the criteria for site selection specified in the Habitats Directive, the Tweed was not an outstanding 216W candidate for SAC status for Atlantic salmon. Those reasons included the relatively poor state of the spawning salmon stock, the very substantial modification by man of the watercourse and discharges into the river environment. The Government have proposed five other rivers to the European Commission as candidate SACs for Atlantic salmon which we believe better meet the selection criteria of the Habitats Directive.
The implementation of the Habitats Directive in Scotland is now a matter for the Scottish Parliament.