§ Mr. Simon Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the non-governmental organisations which have requested the Forestry Commission that they be given an opportunity to have detailed discussions with the Forestry Commission on the consultation paper "Broadleaves in Britain" but which the Forestry Commission has not met for such discussions; and if he will seek to ensure that the Forestry Commission agrees to meet these organisations for such discussions;
(2) if non-governmental conservation organisations are to be given the same opportunity to have detailed 401W discussions individually with the Forestry Commission on the consultation paper "Broadleaves in Britain" as has been given to other non-governmental organisations.
§ Mr. John MacKayIn the course of drawing up draft policy proposals for broadleaved woodlands for discussion at the seminar to be held on 8 May, the Forestry Commission has not only had the benefit of the many comments it received in response to its consultative paper, but has also had meetings to discuss certain ideas with a number of selected government and non-government organisations. Not all the bodies participating in these discussions had requested meetings with the commission, nor did the commission find it necessary to have meetings with all the bodies that had asked for them. The bodies in the latter category are: The Council for the Protection of Rural England, Friends of the Earth, the North York Moors national park and the Yorkshire Dales national park.
I see no justification for intervening in the commission's handling of this exercise.
§ Mr. Simon Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the governmental and non-governmental organisations with which the Forestry Commission has had discussions on the consultation paper "Broadleaves in Britain" since the paper was published.
§ Mr. John MacKayThe Forestry Commission has had discussions with the following organisations:
Government organisations
Countryside Commission, Countryside Commission for Scotland, Nature Conservancy Council.Non-Government organisations
Timber Growers UK, British Timber Merchants' Association (England and Wales), Institute of Chartered Foresters, National Farmers' Union, Country Landowners' Association.In addition, the Forestry Commission is currently having discussions with a number of Government Departments.
§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is the proportion of broadleaved to coniferous trees at which the Forestry Commission will consider a woodland to be a broadleaved woodland for the purposes of the "Broadleaves in Britain" review and for the purposes of administering the guidelines on woodland management proposed in the review;
(2) if he will define, for the purposes of the Forestry Commission's "Broadleaves in Britain" review, the term broadleaved woodland.
§ Mr. John MacKayThe generally accepted definition of broadleaved woodland is woodland that is predominantly broadleaved in character. The question of the acceptable proportion of conifers to broadleaves in a range of circumstances is still under consideration as part of the review.