§ 3.13 p.m.
§ Baroness Sharples asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ What progress has been made in combating the spread of Japanese knotweed in the United Kingdom.
Viscount AstorMy Lords, considerable research on this subject has already been undertaken. The Welsh Development Agency commissioned a major study by consultants, completed last year, about the status and control of Japanese knotweed in Wales. The study makes several suggestions about controlling knotweed including local surveys, education, the production of guidelines for practical control and the investigation of the potential for biological control.
Baroness SharpiesMy Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer, which is not very different from that which I received two years ago. What co-operation are we receiving from our European partners? Furthermore, what effect does this nine foot pest have on SSSIs? I understand that flora are being greatly affected by this pest.
Viscount AstorMy Lords, the CAB International Institute of Biological Control and a firm of UK consultants have made a joint application with the institutes in Ireland and Germany for EC funding to investigate the potential for biological control. It is a very difficult plant to eliminate. However, the National Trust in North Devon has been undertaking a control programme for a number of years and chemical and physical means of control have proved successful in a number of national nature reserves and sites of special scientific interest.