§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the area of land within the flow country of Sutherland and Caithness which is unlikely to be released from agriculture for forestry purposes.
§ Mr. John MacKayAgreement to the transfer of agricultural land for forestry planting in Scotland is limited to the procedures for dealing with grant applications under the Forestry Commission's forestry grant schemes. Each application is considered by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland against the criteria announced by my right hon. and learned Friend in March of this year. It is not possible to give an overall estimate of the area of land within the flow country in respect of which agreement might be given or withheld.
§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the dates of the last two meetings between the Forestry Commission and, respectively, the Scottish Development Department, the Nature Conservancy Council and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to discuss the future pattern of land use in the flow country.
§ Mr. John MacKayThe last two meetings at headquarters level between the Forestry Commission and the bodies named, for the purpose of discussing land use in the flow country, were as follows
Scottish Development Department and Nature Conservancy Council — 13 August and 22 October 1986.Royal Society for the Protection of Birds — 27 September 1985 and 26 June 1986.