§ 32. Mr. Kimballasked the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many bracken officers he has appointed; what reports he has received from them on the results of the chemical spraying of bracken in 1959 and 1960; and when chemical spraying will rank for grant under the Eradication of Bracken Scheme.
§ Mr. MaclayI have appointed no bracken officers as such. Bracken control duties are carried out by the general agricultural inspectors of my Department. With my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, I am keeping in close touch with the trials carried out by the Agricultural Research Council and as he indicated in his reply to the hon. Member on 16th March it is not possible to say when or whether the evidence from these trials will justify grant aid for this method of bracken control.