asked Her Majesty's Government:

With reference to the following species of avian raptors—(a) red kite; (b) white tailed eagle; (c) common buzzard; (d) goshawk; (e) golden eagle; (f) lanner; (g) merlin; (h) peregrine; and (i) Harris hawk, how many of each species have been released under licence in the past 25 years; to whom the licences were issued; whether the parties who released the birds and the organisation that bred them were under licence; and whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) was the only department authorised to issue licences for these species. [HL1373]

Licences would not be required for the release of red kite, common buzzard, goshawk, golden eagle, merlin and peregrine falcon as they are species that are ordinarily resident in Great Britain. The release of white tailed eagle, Harris hawk and lanner falcon would be an offence under Section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 unless licensed. The white tailed eagle is native to Great Britain while the other two species are not.

Until 30 September 2006, the licensing responsibility in England was shared between Defra (and its predecessor departments) and English Nature. Since 1 October 2006 this responsibility has been shared between Defra and Natural England.

Available information indicates that no licences have been issued for the release of captive bred specimens of white tailed eagle, Harris hawk and lanner falcon into the wild in England.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

With reference to the following species of avian raptors—(a) red kite; (b) white tailed eagle; (c) common buzzard; (d) goshawk; (e) golden eagle; (f) lanner; (g) merlin; (h) peregrine; and (i) Harris hawk, how many importations of each species have taken place and from what country of origin; whether quarantine conditions were enforced and controlled by the State Veterinary Service; and whether Defra officials were kept informed during each stage of the importation process. [HL1374]

Defra and State Veterinary Service (SVS) officials are informed when importers of avian raptors apply for licences, and Defra officials are informed when importers apply for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) permits.

Copies of any special import licences issued are sent to the Animal Health Divisional Office which covers the area where a bird will become resident. This will alert the local divisional veterinary managers of the bird's arrival and specify the necessary checks on quarantine that will need to be made, as well as any additional tests that may need to be carried out.

Birds for commercial import from other member states of the European Union do not have to go to quarantine. If birds are sent to quarantine then the SVS attends frequently to supervise and enforce rules. An SVS officer visits at least three times: at the beginning, during and at the end of the quarantine period.

The following statistics for importations recorded by year between 1998 to the present are taken from our own recording system. 1998 has been chosen as the start date as it is the first full year after the introduction of European Community Regulation 338/97 which implements CITES, and which came into force in June of 1997.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much public money is invested in the captive breeding and release into the wild of the following species of bird—(a) red kite; (b) white tailed eagle; (c) common buzzard; (d) goshawk; (e) golden eagle; (f) lanner; (g) merlin; (h) peregrine; and (i) Harris hawk. [HL1375]

Natural England advises that a small amount of public money was spent on developing a captive breeding programme for red kites in 1989. The exact sum is not known, and the attempt to breed these birds in captivity was unsuccessful so no captive bred specimens were released into the wild. No programme for breeding any of the other species has been undertaken using public money by Defra, Natural England or their predecessors.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many (a) wild-caught; (b) captive bred; and (c) ranched birds were imported into the European Union in 2005.[HL1427]

The information requested is set out in the table below:

Imports of birds are not recorded as “wild-caught”, “captive bred” or “ranched”. There is no requirement to do so.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

With reference to the releases of the following species of avian raptors—(a) red kite; (b) white tailed eagle; (c) common buzzard; (d) goshawk; (e) golden eagle; (f) lanner; (g) merlin; (h) peregrine; and (i) Harris hawk, whether there was consultation, both with the landowner of the release point, and other land managers in the area ; and [HL1430]

Whether responsibilities for release programmes were sub-contracted to non-governmental organisations in respect of the following species of avian raptors—(a) red kite; (b) white tailed eagle; (c) common buzzard; (d) goshawk; (e) golden eagle; (f) lanner; (g) merlin; (h) peregrine; and (i) Harris hawk; and, if so, which non-governmental organisations; and [HL1431]

With reference to the licensing of the following species of artificially bred raptors—(a) red kite; (b) white tailed eagle; (c) common buzzard; (d) goshawk; (e) golden eagle; (f) lanner; (g) merlin; (h) peregrine; and (i) Harris hawk, whether surveys are conducted to establish that adequate supplies of prey or wild food are available; under what authorised conditions artificial feeding is allowed; and for how long after release; and [HL1432]

With reference to the licensing of the following species of artificially bred raptors—(a) red kite; (b) white tailed eagle; (c) common buzzard; (d) goshawk; (e) golden eagle; (f) lanner; (g) merlin; (h) peregrine; and (i) Harris hawk, whether vulnerable prey species are taken into account during the preparation of an environmental impact assessment.[HL1433]

Releases of red kites as part of the Natural England (formerly English Nature)—RSPB Reintroduction Programme (1989 to present) have been carried out in accordance with the internationally agreed IUCN (World Conservation Union) guidelines. These include a requirement to consult local landowners, as well as other interested individuals and organisations, before birds are released.

Licences would not be required for the release of the red kite, common buzzard, goshawk, golden eagle, merlin, and peregrine falcon, as they are species which are ordinarily resident in Great Britain. Releases of some of the species listed (for example, the goshawk) have been carried out by individuals or private organisations. My department has no records about consultation with local landowners in these cases.

The release of the white tailed eagle (also native to Great Britain), Harris hawk and lanner falcon would require a licence. To release these species without a licence would be an offence under Section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The department has no records of licences having been issued in England for the release of artificially-bred specimens of the white tailed eagle, Harris hawk and lanner falcon. Associated impacts of any such releases would be considered, as appropriate, as part of the licensing decision process.

Non-governmental organisations are at liberty to propose, conduct and participate in release programmes. For example, the red kite reintroduction programme is a joint RSPB and Natural England endeavour. Natural England, as the licensing authority, would need to be satisfied that it was proper to license any such releases.

Any conditions imposed on a licence, including any conditions relating to artificial feeding, would be specific to that licence.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many (a) wild-caught; (b) captive bred; and (c) ranched birds were imported into the United Kingdom in 2006 from (i) within, and (ii) outside the European Union.[HL1426]

The information requested is set out in the table below:

The birds imported from countries outside the EU were for conservation purposes.

Imports of birds are not recorded as “wild-caught”, “captive bred” or “ranched”. There is no requirement to do so.