§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what research his Department has conducted into the possible link between inhalation of spores from bracken fern and cancer; if he will publish the results; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe Department is not directly involved in such research. However research work has been carried out for a number of years at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, on the biology of bracken, including the periodicity of spore release, and its control. Work on bracken control and on monitoring its distribution in Scotland has been carried out by the Macaulay land use research institute.