§ Mr. DevlinTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many Forestry Commission woods have been sold off since 1981; and in how many of those sold all prior public access have been preserved.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 25 March 1994]: Between July 1981 and 31 December 1993 the Forestry Commission sold over 2,000 individual areas of forestry land.
Access along public rights of way is not, of course, affected by a change of ownership and so any rights of way through these woodlands are still freely available. In addition, the commission offers to make access agreements with local authorities before woodlands are sold; these agreements ensure that full public access is maintained.