Wildlife

(asked on 22nd March 2021) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what safeguards are in place to ensure that companies who are granted wildlife licences by Natural England carry out an acceptable standard of work under those licences; and what compensation is available to help protect consumers against excessive expenses in the event that those services so provided are not adequate.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 30th March 2021

Wildlife licensing authorities assess applications to conduct otherwise unlawful activities impacting protected species. The assessment of an application focuses on the justification for the activity and the consequences for the protected species. It is commonplace for this assessment to consider the suitability of an applicant for a licence to conduct the proposed works, as this is relevant to the conservation and welfare of protected species, but the emphasis is on the consequences for the wildlife, and not the service provided by that person or company.

There are no provisions within wildlife legislation in England concerning compensation for inadequate service for activities conducted under a wildlife licence. Anyone engaging the services of a third party to conduct licensed works is encouraged to check the experience and qualifications of service provider and to get more than one quote for the work. It is also worth considering employing a member of a relevant professional body as membership of such bodies is typically subject to professional standards and may include recourse to a complaints procedure regarding the conduct of members.

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