§ Colonel Carverasked the Minister of Agriculture whether the Government, in assisting farmers in England and Wales to clear bracken from the land, have evolved in advance any exact estimate of the acreage to be dealt with; and whether it is hoped that such acreage, when cleared, will be brought under the plough next winter?
Mr. HudsonNo accurate estimate can be made of the area of land suitable to be dealt with under the scheme of financial assistance for the eradication of bracken. As regards the last part of the Question, the scheme does not necessarily provide for the clearance of bracken with a view to immediate cultivation of the land as arable; the treatment may have to be spread over several years but immediate benefit is anticipated from the improvement of the land for grazing.