Written question asked by Peter Bottomley (Conservative) on Friday, 2 February 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 February 2007. It was answered by David Cairns (Labour) on Tuesday, 20 March 2007 on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.

Swans

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what estimate he has made of the number of whooper swans that settle in Northern Ireland each year; where they stay; whether any of the sites are potentially affected by road schemes; and if he will make a statement on the protections afforded to the swans;

Answer: Due to an administrative oversight question 119455 was not answered earlier.The most recent survey recorded 4,331 whooper swans in Northern Ireland in January 2005.There are five main sites that regularly support whooper swans in numbers of international or regional importance. These are Upper Lough Erne, Lough Neagh and Lough Beg, Lough Foyle, River Foyle, River Lagan-Flatfield and River Blackwater-Derryscollop. There are a number of other smaller, more widely dispersed flocks.My officials are aware of only one road scheme with the potential to impact on a whooper swan site. This is the proposed further road development at Toome, County Londonderry. This is still at the planning stage and is subject to an assessment as required by article 6 of the Habitats Directive. Recent surveys of the swans at this location will provide further information on the number and behaviour of birds overwintering on Lough Beg.Whooper swan is listed in Annex II of the Birds Directive and three special protection areas have been classified for them at Lough Neagh and Lough Beg, Lough Foyle and Upper Lough Erne.Whooper swan is also listed on schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, which affords protection for them throughout Northern Ireland.

Secondary information