§ Mr. SwayneTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make a statement about the number of broadleaf trees currently being felled in the New Forest; [56501]
(2) what measures he will take to restore the Iron Age village near Fritham damaged by Forestry Commission contractors; and what measures he will put in place to prevent a recurrence. [56503]
§ Mr. MorleyThe subjects of these questions relate to matters undertaken by Forest Enterprise and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Bob McIntosh to Mr. Desmond Swayne, dated November 1998:
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your questions about the number of broadleaf trees being felled in the New Forest and the measures being taken to restore the Iron Age village near Fritham.I am pleased to be able to advise you that there is no clear felling of broadleaved trees in the New Forest. The only felling which is conducted involves silvicultural thinning, and the Forestry Commission proposes to remove some 500 cubic metres of hardwood logs during the coming winter, together with 200 cubic metres of cordwood and 4,000 cubic metres of pulpwood.With regard to the restoration of the Iron Age village, staff from the Forestry Commission met the contractor who caused the damage, together with officials from English Heritage and English Nature in August, to agree restoration measures. These measures chiefly consisted of minor levelling works, but these cannot take place until conditions on the ground are drier, as the site is currently waterlogged.I would like to re-assure you that new procedures have been put in place to reduce the likelihood of recurrence. These include:revised operational planning proceduresincreased staff levels on planninga tightening of contract controlsa continuing review of unscheduled sites by the Hampshire FieldClub, at two yearly intervalsI hope that this is helpful.