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Areas Of Special Scientific Interest

Volume 400: debated on Monday 3 March 2003

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To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which areas of special scientific interest in Northern Ireland are recognised by the European Union. [99354]

In my response to PQ 438, I listed the sites in Northern Ireland classified under the Birds Directive and proposed for designation under the Habitats Directive. These sites have also been declared as Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs) under the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order (1985), with the exception of those sites, or parts thereof, which are subtidal. A full list of ASSIs is published on the website of the Environment and Heritage Serviceā€”www.nics.gov.uk/ehs. As ASSIs are declared under domestic legislation, there is therefore no provision for their recognition by the European Union.