§ Mr. Watsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the Forestry Commission has accepted the application which has been submitted to it for grant aid for the afforestation of land at South House Moor in the Yorkshire Dales national park.
§ Mr. WigginThe Forestry Commission referred this case to my right hon. Friend under the agreed procedures and my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment and I visited the site and discussed the matter locally. After very careful consideration of the factors involved we have concluded that the afforestation of this area would represent an unacceptable intrusion into a particularly sensitive part of the National Park. We have therefore informed the Forestry Commissioners that in our view grant aid should be withheld, and they have accepted our view. I understand that the National Park Committee is preparing a new forestry policy map for discussion with interested bodies, and we hope that an agreement can be reached on this at an early date.