§ Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the level of production of timber and timber products contributed by the United Kingdom forestry industry.
§ Sir J. Gilmourasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the level of production of timber and timber products contributed 599W by the United Kingdom forestry industry.
§ Mr. Strang, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 20th April 1978; Vol. 948, col. 303–4], gave the following revised information:
I am satisfied that the United Kingdom forestry industry is making a worthwhile contribution towards the supply of timber given the size and age structure of the present forest estate and taking into account the current worldwide recession in demand. It must be remembered that current softwood production in this country is the outcome of decisions on levels of tree planting taken between 20 and 60 years ago, and current hardwood production stems mainly from planting done in the last century. As a direct result of the postwar expansion in afforestation, production is expected to double over the next 20 years.