§ Mir. CatonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government intend to ratify the European Landscape Convention adopted by the Council of Europe in October 2000. [90854]
§ Alun MichaelThe United Kingdom already meets many of the requirements of the European Landscape Convention and Defra has commissioned consultants to report on the costs and benefits of the UK deciding whether or not to sign and ratify the European Landscape Convention. That report, together with a Regulatory Impact Assessment, will inform the Government's decision which will be taken in the next few months.