§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of EU directives on wildlife on SSSIs in England. [138032]
§ Mr. MullinNo assessment has been made of the general impact of EU directives on wildlife. However, two EU directives specifically address the protection of wildlife:Council Directive 92/43/EC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora ("the Habitats Directive") and Council Directive 79/409/EC on the conservation of wild birds ("the Birds Directive"). These generally serve to reinforce the protection of wildlife in England. Under the directives, we have classified 83 special protection areas for birds and have submitted 148 sites to date for possible designation as special areas of conservation for inclusion in a network of sites of European importance. These sites are all already or will be notified as SSSIs, and benefit from special protection under the provisions of the directives.