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 take steps to protect the song bird and pigeon population by controlling and reducing the numbers of birds of prey.

In England, there are provisions under Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which allow for the control of wild birds, such as birds of prey, to conserve other wild birds e.g. songbirds. Licence applications are dealt with on a case by case basis and priority must be given to non-lethal methods.

There is however no evidence that predation of songbirds by birds of prey is a major contributory factor in their decline at a national scale.

There are no provisions under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which permit licences to be granted to control birds of prey to protect racing pigeons.

As nature conservation is a devolved matter, the Department for the Environment of Northern Ireland should be approached regarding its wildlife legislation and policy regarding the control of birds of prey.