§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will instruct the Forestry Commission to notify all local authorities of the outcome of applications for forestry planting grant within their area of jurisdiction; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonIt is the Forestry Commission's normal practice to notify local authorities of the outcome of those planting grant applications over which they have been consulted, where objections have 515W been raised. The Commission also informs local authorities of the outcome in other cases where they have requested that this should be done. I consider this to be a fair and reasonable procedure and I am not persuaded that it would be right for me to add to the Commission's administrative costs by instructing it to notify local authorities of the outcome of all grant applications as a matter of course.
§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to require local authorities to prepare regional indicative forestry strategies.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonNo. My right hon. and learned Friend has already made it clear that it will be for each local authority in Scotland to decide whether or not an indicative forestry strategy is needed for its area. The situation including the potential for new planting varies considerably from one region to another.