§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps the Government are taking to protect UK peatlands; and if she will make a statement on the practice of peat extraction in the UK; [7776]
(2) what action she will take with regard to the European Habitats Directive in order to exempt areas of the UK from the possibility of peat extraction.[7893]
§ Mr. MeacherThe best examples of peatland habitats in the UK are notified by the country nature conservation agencies as sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs), or areas of special scientific interest in (ASSIs) in Northern Ireland. In England, peatland SSSIs are protected from damage through the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, strengthened recently by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. In 1999 the UK Government endorsed the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) for lowland raised bogs in which targets for restoration of damaged peatlands are set out. The BAP also contains targets for the replacement of peat in the UK horticultural industry, including supplies for amateur use—a reduction of 40 per cent. by 2005 and to 90 per cent. by 2010.
1218WThe EU Habitats Directive provides for the creation of a network of protected wildlife sites across the European Union. The UK has identified and forwarded to the European Commission 565 sites suitable for selection as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), thirty-eight of which feature a peatland habitat type. Sites in England receive the full protection offered by the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc) Regulations 1994, implementing the directive's provisions. Minerals Planning Authorities (MPAs) have statutory responsibility to determine applications for permission to extract peat.
Applications for new permissions, and extant permissions, must be assessed with regard to any potential effect peat extraction will have on the conservation status of candidate SACs, or Special Protection Areas (SPAs) under the Birds Directive. New permissions may be refused and extant permissions amended or revoked if an adverse effect is determined. Guidance to MPAs on criteria for selection and identification of acceptable sites for peat extraction is contained in Mineral Planning Guidance 13 'Guidelines for Peat Provision in England Including the Place for Alternative Materials'. Additional guidance on designated sites to MPAs is also given in Planning Policy Guidance 9 'Nature Conservation'.