§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the percentage of hedgerows and total hedgerow stock in 1984 which has subsequently been lost; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsA survey carried out by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology as part of the Department of the Environment's 1990 countryside survey found that in 1984 there was an estimated stock of 71,000 km of hedgerow in Wales, but, by 1990, there had been a net loss of 18,000 km or 25 per cent. of the total stock. The main reason for this loss was poor management and as a result the Countryside Council for Wales in 1992, at the request of the Welsh Office, established the hedgerow renovation scheme.
The most recent survey of hedgerows in England and Wales will shortly be completed, covering the years 1990–93. This will provide details of more recent changes in stock levels.