§ Mr. STANIERasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether his Department has any information concerning the ravages of the larch sawfly disease in Great Britain, particularly in the Lake district of Cumberland and Westmorland; whether, for the purposes of comparison, any record is kept of the spread and 1963W intensity of the disease from year to year; whether the disease is now increasing or diminishing in extent or in intensity; and can he estimate the loss which has occurred to owners of plantations in England, Scotland, and Wales, respectively, during the last five years?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThe ravages of the larch sawfly have been the subject of investigation by the Board for several years past. Records of the inquiries made have been kept, and maps have been issued from time to time showing the distribution of the pest. The records show that it is now less prevalent than formerly in Wales, but more prevalent in the Lake district of Cumberland and Westmorland. I am not in a position to estimate the loss attributable to the pest, but it is undoubtedly serious. The larch sawfly has been scheduled under the Destructive Insects and Pests Order, 1910.