§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in the light of the incidence of elm disease, he will reconsider his policy on tree planting along motorways.
§ Mr. MarksNo. The planting of trees along motorways is an essential part of our policy of landscaping new roads, using those species of trees already growing in the area in order to reflect local landscape character. Small numbers of elms are being interspersed among other species in an effort to maintain—or in some cases to re-establish—this variety of tree, which has been a feature of certain areas of the English countryside for many years.
§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the cost in the current financial year of the programme of tree planting along motorways.