Dr. Bennettasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the present annual value of timber imported into Great Britain; what estimate he has made of the probable rise in value in the next few years; and what steps he will take to encourage the use of indigenous timber.
§ Mr. Scott-HopkinsImports of timber, including plywood and allied materials, were valued at £204 million in 1963, and it is estimated that they will rise to about £228 million this year. No estimate has yet been made of the likely level of imports in subsequent years. Production of home-grown timber represents rather less than 10 per cent. of our total consumption and new outlets for this product are continually being found with the help of the Forestry Commission.