§ Mr. Warrenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many acres of Forestry Commission land have been sold to private buyers since May 1979; and how many of these were stocked with conifer and how many with deciduous trees.
§ Mrs. FennerBefore 1 April 1982 statistics of the sale of plantations and plantable land were compiled and held centrally only by financial years. From 1 April 1979 to 21 November 1982 a total of 17,895 acres—7,242 hectares—of Forestry Commission plantations and plantable land was sold.
A further 23,791 acres—9,628 hectares—of agricultural and other surplus land were sold in the period of 1 April 1980 to 31 March 1982. Details are not held centrally of such land sold in the periods of 1 April 1979 to 31 March 1980 and 1 April 1982 to 21 November 1982, nor of the breakdown of plantation sales between coniferous and deciduous trees. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.