Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Special Areas of Conservation in England, how many consents or permissions to burn blanket bog Natural England is seeking to (a) modify and (b) revoke in order to end the practice of burning in that globally important habitat.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
This is a devolved matter and the below relates to England only.
In February 2018, 213 Voluntary Commitments (VCs) were sent out to landowners. 157 VCs were returned signed, 19 returned refused to sign, and 37 are outstanding. By signing a VC, the landowner or manager is agreeing to suspend rotational burning on blanket bog habitat, as opposed to deep peat soils, and to work with Natural England (NE) to develop Long Term Management Plans or equivalent remedies to modify or revoke any consent concerning rotational burning. The VC is the first step towards the cessation of rotational burning on blanket bog.
To date, NE has revoked or modified 124 consents or permissions by developing Long Term Plans or equivalent remedies such as Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) Revisions, HLS Extensions or voluntary surrender. In total, NE are working to modify or revoke 402 consents or permissions to rotationally burn on blanket bog habitat designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).
NE have issued 6 consents for restoration burning on the following blanket bog Special Areas of Conservation: 2 in the South Pennines SAC and 4 in the North Pennines SAC.
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Special Areas of Conservation in England, how many consents or permissions to burn blanket bog Natural England has successfully (a) revoked and (b) modified to secure the permanent cessation of burning that globally important habitat.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
This is a devolved matter and the below relates to England only.
In February 2018, 213 Voluntary Commitments (VCs) were sent out to landowners. 157 VCs were returned signed, 19 returned refused to sign, and 37 are outstanding. By signing a VC, the landowner or manager is agreeing to suspend rotational burning on blanket bog habitat, as opposed to deep peat soils, and to work with Natural England (NE) to develop Long Term Management Plans or equivalent remedies to modify or revoke any consent concerning rotational burning. The VC is the first step towards the cessation of rotational burning on blanket bog.
To date, NE has revoked or modified 124 consents or permissions by developing Long Term Plans or equivalent remedies such as Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) Revisions, HLS Extensions or voluntary surrender. In total, NE are working to modify or revoke 402 consents or permissions to rotationally burn on blanket bog habitat designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).
NE have issued 6 consents for restoration burning on the following blanket bog Special Areas of Conservation: 2 in the South Pennines SAC and 4 in the North Pennines SAC.
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Special Areas of Conservation in England, how many consents or permissions Natural England has issued for the practice of restoration burning; and in which Special Areas of Conservation those consents or permissions have been issued.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
This is a devolved matter and the below relates to England only.
In February 2018, 213 Voluntary Commitments (VCs) were sent out to landowners. 157 VCs were returned signed, 19 returned refused to sign, and 37 are outstanding. By signing a VC, the landowner or manager is agreeing to suspend rotational burning on blanket bog habitat, as opposed to deep peat soils, and to work with Natural England (NE) to develop Long Term Management Plans or equivalent remedies to modify or revoke any consent concerning rotational burning. The VC is the first step towards the cessation of rotational burning on blanket bog.
To date, NE has revoked or modified 124 consents or permissions by developing Long Term Plans or equivalent remedies such as Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) Revisions, HLS Extensions or voluntary surrender. In total, NE are working to modify or revoke 402 consents or permissions to rotationally burn on blanket bog habitat designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).
NE have issued 6 consents for restoration burning on the following blanket bog Special Areas of Conservation: 2 in the South Pennines SAC and 4 in the North Pennines SAC.
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many fledged hen harriers there were in 2018; how many of these birds were successfully fitted with tracking devices; and what estimate he has made of the number of birds still being tracked by satellite.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
During 2018 an estimated 34 hen harriers fledged in England. Natural England fixed satellite tags to five of these birds, of which two were still transmitting at the end of January 2019. Including birds tagged in previous years, Natural England is currently tracking four birds.
The RSPB fitted tags to approximately 30 hen harriers across the UK during 2018. As of November 2018, over two thirds of these tags were transmitting.
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to replace (a) EU LIFE funding and (b) EU BEST funding for programmes after 2020.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon, Layla Moran, on 1 February 2019, PQ UIN 213461.