§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans the Government have to improve the delivery of their forestry policies and to reorganise the Forestry Commission.
§ Mr. LangThe Government's forestry policies have been developed and refined over recent years. We are encouraging more planting on better quality land than hitherto and the creation of forests close to major centres of population. As noted in the Environment White Paper, the Government have also taken steps to build environmental objectives into forestry policy. A much greater emphasis is being placed, for instance, on the planting of broadleaves and on the conservation of existing forests and woodlands. At the same time, the value of forestry output is increasing in line with the steady rise in timber production and processing. We are committed to the concept of multi-purpose forests, with all that they can offer in economic, social and environmental terms.
Against that background, we have been concerned to ensure that the Forestry Commission is organised to take full advantage of the new opportunities now opening up for forestry. This will require a strong and flexible Commission, which can focus its resources to deliver our policies for the development of forestry as cost-effectively as possible. To this end, we see advantage in changes being made to the Commission's management structure to 221W achieve a clearer administrative distinction between those staff concerned with its regulatory and advisory duties as a Government Department and those engaged in the management of its forests. We have therefore endorsed a proposal by the Forestry Commissioners that the commission should be reorganised along these lines.
The commission's staff will be given more precisely defined responsibilities and goals. This will improve the effectiveness of the authority, which will have a responsibility to oversee the work of the enterprise as well as the private sector. Enterprise managers will be free to concentrate on the efficient management of the commission's forest estate, with clear commercial, environmental and social objectives.
I emphasise that this will be an internal reorganisation. Last year, in responding to its report "Land Use and Forestry", we rejected a recommendation by the Agriculture Committee that the commission should be split up. This reorganisation fully accords with that decision.
The implementation of the reorganisation will now be put in hand by the Forestry Commissioners.