§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the spread of Japanese knotweed; and if she will make a statement. [134228]
§ Mr. BradshawI am aware of the problems caused by the spread of Japanese knotweed. The Department commissioned a new survey of plants in Britain and Ireland between 1987 and 1999 to produce updated 10-km square distribution maps of all plant species found in the wild. The results of this research were published in the New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora in September 2002. This included information on the spread of non-native plants such as Japanese knotweed.
167WThe Botanical Society for the British Isles continues to collect records for all native and the majority of nonnative species (including Japanese Knotweed) in the UK and submit them to the Biological Record Centre at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
This Department is collaborating with a consortium led by Cornwall county council to undertake a four year project researching the biological control of Japanese knotweed. The study will undertake the necessary research to establish whether biological control is a feasible method for the long-term, sustainable management of Japanese knotweed in the UK.