§ Mr. Wingfield Digbyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the need to look ahead in this field, what steps the Government are taking to plan long-term forestry policy.
§ Mr. SoamesWhen my predecessor made a statement to the House on 24th July, 1958, about forestry policy he said that the Government intended in five years' time to review, in the light of the national needs, the Forestry Commission's planting programmes for the years after 1968, and also the structure of grants to private woodland owners. As the first stage of this review a working party of officials is about to examine these two matters, taking into account the progress made with the Commission's current planting programme, and the likely future planting by private woodland owners.
While the review is proceeding new steps by the Forestry Commission to acquire land will be confined to upland areas where afforestation is needed to provide employment and check depopulation, and elsewhere if the purchase of the land would help the management of existing Commission estates.