HL Deb 31 March 1943 vol 126 cc1047-8
LORD DAVIES

My Lords, I beg to ask my next question.

[The question was as follows:

To ask His Majesty's Government, what are the total acreages controlled by the Forestry Commission in England, Scotland and Wales respectively; how many persons are employed by the Commission in each of those three areas; and whether the personnel of the Commission includes representatives of England, Scotland and Wales.].

LORD SNELL

My Lords, I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Forestry Commission. I have sent the figures for which the noble Lord asks privately to him, as they are hardly suitable for an oral Parliamentary reply, but I am arranging for them to be circulated in the Official Report. The personnel of the Commission includes representatives of England and Scotland and, until the recent resignation of Mr. D. R. Grenfell, also a representative of Wales. Upon Mr. Grenfell's resignation, Mr. M. P. Price, Member of Parliament for the Forest of Dean, was asked by the Commission to take a special interest in the Welsh aspects of the work.

[The figures are as follows:

The acreages controlled by the Forestry Commission are:

Acres.
England 459,000
Scotland 603,000
Wales and Monmouth 170,000
Total 1,232,000

Of these the afforestable areas are:

Acres.
England 330,000
Scotland 300,000
Wales and Monmouth 129,000
Total 759,000

The numbers of persons employed (technical, clerical and forest workers) as at date of latest return are:

England 2,740
Scotland 1,846
Wales and Monmouth 961
Total 5.547]

LORD DAVIES

My Lords, arising out of that reply, may I be allowed to thank my noble friend for the figures which he has given me? From those figures I observe that in Wales there are 170,000 acres under the control of the Forestry Commission and 961 persons are employed by the Commission. I would like to ask the noble Lord whether he does not consider that in those circumstances Wales should have a direct representative on the Commission.

LORD SNELL

My Lords, I will see that the noble Lord's views are conveyed to the Forestry Commission.