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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the average number of days taken for individual licences to be granted by Natural England for shoots in or near Special Protection Areas in the most recent period for which data is available.

The Defra Minister responsible has assumed responsibility for the decision making of individual licence applications for SPAs following the changes to General Licence 43 (GL43). Natural England is responsible for processing the applications and providing recommendations to Defra ministers. As at 19 June, Natural England has recommended issuing 3 individual licences which would authorise the release of a specified number of gamebirds at the specified site in the licence. The Minister has considered these applications and granted the individual licences.