Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to Answer of 15 June 2018 to Question 152799 on Special Protection Areas: Birds, for which of the potential Special Protection Areas he has received Natural England’s recommendation on classification; on what date was each such recommendation was received; and when he plans to classify those sites.

Ministers have received Natural England’s scientific advice for the following potential Special Protection Areas (SPAs):

• Bowland Fells (addition of lesser black backed gull) - 22 February 2013;
• Flamborough and Filey Coast (site extension) - 11 July 2013;
• Solway Firth (site extension) - 20 August 2015;
• Solent and Dorset Coast (new marine site) - 22 October 2015;
• Crouch and Roach Estuaries (site extension) - 30 March 2017; and
• Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast (site extension) - 22 June 2018.

Ministers have yet to receive Natural England’s scientific advice regarding the Isles of Scilly SPA proposed site extension.

The decision to formally classify the sites will be made following consideration of the respective public consultations and in view of other site designation priorities. The Secretary of State agreed to classify the Crouch and Roach Estuaries pSPA, which will be classified shortly.

As a matter of Government policy, sites on which the Government has initiated public consultation on the scientific case for classification as a SPA are given the same protection as if formally classified.