§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what area of land in England has been sold by the Forestry Commission; what area she expects to be sold during the next five years; and what area she expects to remain in the ownership of the Commission by 2000.
§ Mr. JackThe Forestry Commission has sold 33,500 hectares of land in England since the disposals programme was introduced in 1981. As announced in Cm 2214, "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1993–94 to 1995–96 for the Department of the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Forestry Commission", table 13.10, the commission plans to sell 15,000 hectares of forest land in Britain in each of the next three years. The proportion of this that will be sold in England will depend on the state of the market, particularly the demand for forest land in different parts of the country. The sales programme for 1996–97 and beyond is under consideration and it is not possible at this stage to estimate precisely what area of land will remain in the commission's ownership by the year 2000.