Trees (Hansard, 28 July 1988)

§ Mr. Baldry
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further assistance he will provide to promote the replacement planting of amenity trees lost in the storm of 15–16 October 1987.

§ Mr. Amess
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many trees were planted in each month since September 1987.

§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
We estimate that £1.4 million was spent on aiding the planting of approximately 500,000 amenity trees under the initial task force trees programme (including site preparation and certain other costs) and a similar sum on grant-aiding tree surgery to some 30,000 trees. Other amenity planting took place in this period under the existing programme of aid administered by the Countryside Commission, and planting in woodlands where it was grant aided, or undertaken directly, by the Forestry Commission.
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Complete figures are not available, and it is not possible to give a breakdown by month. However, much planting has also been undertaken by private individuals, voluntary bodies and local authorities at their own expense.

§ Mr. Amess
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a further statement on the progress of measures his Department has taken to replace trees destroyed in the October 1987 hurricane.

§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
The Government have already made substantial sums available for the replacement planting of amenity trees, both in rural and in urban areas, through a special unit of the Countryside Commission, task force trees. In 1987–88 £3 million was allocated for this purpose and in January my noble Friend the Minister of State announced that a further £800,000 would be provided for the current financial year to supplement the commission's regular programme of assistance for planting.
At that time, my noble Friend also said that the Government would make a further statement of their intentions in good time for the start of the next planting season. Accordingly, following detailed discussions with the Countryside Commission, we have decided to make available to task force trees an additional allocation of £2.5 million to implement the next phase of restoration. Of this, £200,000 is to be spent in the current financial year and the remainder in 1989–90.
We see this additional aid as part of a longer-term programme of restoration, of which further details will be announced in due course.
The Government are conscious of the damage caused by the storm to historic parks and gardens, and both English Heritage and task force trees are providing appropriate assistance. For 1989–90, in addition to the further resources for task force trees, we shall be making available £500,000 to English Heritage to enable it to continue its programme of grant assistance for the clearance and replanting of parks and gardens of outstanding architectural or historic interest.