§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has of the area of land covered by bracken in Scotland.
§ Mr. John MackayThe area of land in Scotland at present covered by bracken is estimated to be around 200,000 hectares.
§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has of the probable area of land covered by bracken in Scotland, at present rates of encroachment, by the year 2000.
§ Mr. John MackayThe rate at which bracken spreads is variable: encroachment of heathlands and moorland is negligible while the rate rises to approximately 3 per cent. on underused grassland. The overall rate of encroachment is further affected by factors such as livestock numbers and the level of afforestation. It is not therefore possible to give a realistic figure for the year 2000.
§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many grants were paid for the purpose of bracken control in Scotland; and what was their total value in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. John MackayThe information is set out in the table below:
391W
Calendar Year Number of Claims Total Grant £ 1981 *22 79,495 1982 *62 85,232 1983 200 124,175 1984 185 106,248 1985 179 118,704
*Figures for the number of claims under the Farm and Horticultural Development Scheme/Agricultural and Horticultural Development Scheme are not available.