Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assistance his Department is providing to protect the wildlife and habitats of Gough Island from invasive non-native species; and what support his Department plans to give to Tristan da Cunha Council's proposal to eradicate those species.

The Government is aware of the threat to the seabirds of Gough Island posed by invasive mice and plants. Research and scoping work has concluded that it should be possible to eradicate both the mice and the invasive groundcover which present the two main threats to the island’s biodiversity. Together with colleagues across government, we are currently reviewing the options for addressing the problem and the necessary action to ensure the protection of these rare and endangered species and to protect the World Heritage Site status of Gough Island.