HC Deb 14 April 2003 vol 403 c477W
Mr. Randall

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish the results of her Department's review of its Bird Registration Scheme. [107933]

Mr. Morley

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Welsh Assembly have completed the public consultation on the bird registration scheme.

The consultation provoked over 400 responses from individuals; groups and organisations known to have an interest in schedule 4 and other birds; central and local government organisations; police forces and other enforcement agencies. A summary is being made available on the Department's website.

Having analysed the responses, Defra and the Welsh Assembly have decided to: retain the Bird Registration Scheme; but to remove the requirement to re-register birds every three years treat birds already identifiable with an approved CITES mark as having sufficient marking for registration purposes under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 invite their statutory advisers, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, to review the statutory criteria for listing birds under schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

We will now be working to draft the legislation needed to bring these changes into force. The law is unlikely to change before September 2003.