§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the percentage of hedgerows existing in(a) 1978 and (b) 1979 that has been lost.
§ Mr. Atkins[holding answer 25 April 1994]: The only reliable figures we have relate to the period 1984–90. In 1984, our estimated total hedgerow stock in Great Britain was 549,000 km. By 1990, a net loss of around 23 per cent. had been incurred, mainly as a result of neglect.