§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many living and preserved plant collections at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, are currently fully documented on computer; and when is the planned completion date for the capture of data from existing holdings of preserved plants.
§ Mr. Gillian ShephardThe Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew estimates that some 200,000 of its living and preserved plant accessions are now documented on computer. There is currently no overall project or completion date for computerising information from its vast numbers of preserved plant specimens but emphasis is placed on the parts of the collection where active collaborative research programmes are being undertaken.