§ Mr. William Edwardsasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the grants and tax concessions available to private foresters in Wales; and what estimate he has made of their annual cost.
§ Mr. George ThomasI would refer my hon. Friend to the Forestry Commission publications, "Grants for Woodland Owners" and "Taxation of Woodlands", of which I am sending him copies and which contain full details of the grants and tax arrangements for private forestry throughout Great Britain. In the year ended 30th September, 1968, the Forestry Commission paid a total458W of £122,380 in respect of grants to private woodland owners in Wales. No estimate is available of the effect of the tax arrangements on private forestry in Wales.
§ Mr. William Edwardsasked the Secretary of State for Wales what official restrictions apply to the Forestry Commission in purchasing land for afforestation in Wales; and how many of these restrictions do not apply to private foresters.
§ Mr. George ThomasThere are no arbitrary restrictions on the Forestry Commission's purchases but the Commission consults the Welsh Department of the Ministry of Agriculture about all its proposals. There are no corresponding arrangements for private woodland owners.
§ Mr. William Edwardsasked the Secretary of State for Wales how many acres of land in Wales were in the ownership of the Forestry Commission and private forestry groups, respectively, five years ago; and what are the figures today.
§ Mr. George ThomasAt 30th September, 1963, the Forestry Commission had acquired a total of 362,697 acres in Wales. At 30th September, 1968, this had increased to 382,475 acres. Comparable figures for the private forestry groups are not available.