HC Deb 31 March 2004 vol 419 cc1475-7W
Diana Organ

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list local authority owned sites of special scientific interest which are in an English Nature management scheme to restore their features. [163664]

Mr. Bradshaw

English Nature has initiated proceedings on four management schemes under section 28J of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as amended. In each case, a voluntary management agreement was reached with English Nature, before it was necessary to formally serve notice of the schemes. None of these concerned SSSI land owned or managed by local authorities.

English Nature may enter into voluntary management agreements with any owner or occupier of SSSI land. According to English Nature, management agreements have been entered into with local authorities on 204 separate SSSI units covering 4,734 hectares of SSSI land. I will write to my hon. Friend with further details.

Diana Organ

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list sites of special scientific interest owned by local authorities which are in(a) favourable and (b) unfavourable condition; and which are improving in line with the Public Service Agreement target. [163665]

Mr. Bradshaw

The exact extent of each local authority's SSSI holding has not yet been completely defined. Overall, English Nature estimate that local authorities own or manage at least 47,000 hectares (ha) of SSSI land. Many local authorities do not have digital mapping data for their own landholdings against which English Nature can compare their comprehensive data on SSSI boundaries and condition.

Drawing on English Nature's Site Information System (ENSIS), and working with the Association of Local Government Ecologists, English Nature has identified details of 32,000 ha of SSSI land owned or managed by 256 local authorities. Of these 32,000 ha, according to the last condition assessments completed on the land, approximately 19,400 ha is in favourable condition, 6,900 ha is in recovering condition, and 5,700 ha is in unfavourable no change or declining condition. I will write to the hon. Member with further details.

Diana Organ

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list local authorities which own land designated as sites of special scientific interest, broken down by size of holding. [163666]

Mr. Bradshaw

I refer my hon. Friend to my previous answer concerning the difficulties faced by English Nature in assembling details of local authority SSSI land holdings. According to English Nature's Sites Information System (ENSIS), 256 local authorities own SSSI land. Of these, 10 local authorities own over 1,000 hectares (ha), six local authorities own over 500 ha, and 44 local authorities own over 100 ha. Details of those local authorities owning more than 1,000 ha and more than 500 ha of SSSI land are provided as follows. I will write to my hon. Friend with further details.

Hectares of SSSI land owned/managed—over 1,000 ha Local authority name:

  • Barrow Borough Council
  • Corporation of London
  • Devon County Council
  • East Devon District Council
  • Exeter City Council
  • Maldon District Council
  • Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
  • Northumberland County Council
  • Staffordshire County Council
  • Teignbridge District Council

Hectares of SSSI land owned/managed—over 500 ha Local authority name:

  • Birmingham City Council
  • Essex County Council
  • Hampshire County Council

Of which: Of which:
(a)Employed Fixed term appointee Casual (b) Had on establishment Fixed term appointee Casual
1 January 1999 to 31 December 1999 12 — — 185 — —
1 January 2000 to 31 December 2000 13 1 1 198 1 1
1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 22 3 1 220 4 2
1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002 60 2 33 279 5 35
1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 22 — 11 252 — 13
1 January 2004 to 25 March 2004 14 — 12 259 — 23

Note:

The figures are given on head count basis.