§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the advantages and disadvantages of establishing national parks in Scotland.
§ Sir Hector MonroThe question of establishing national parks in Scotland has been examined many times. In 1988, Ministers invited the Countryside Commission for Scotland to investigate the management of Scotland's mountain areas. In reporting, the Commission recommended the creation of four national parks and the setting up of land management forums for the management of other, upland, areas. However, public consultation found no consensus in favour of national parks and the Government concluded that they were not satisfied that a need for national parks had been demonstrated.
In 1991, the Government established two working parties to examine the management of the Cairngorms area and of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. These reported in 1992 and 1993 respectively and neither recommended that the national park model be followed. They each recommended management structures tailored to the areas, in particular addressing the different pressures and needs found in each. Both were put to public consultation and the Government expect shortly to indicate how they intend to proceed in relation to the reports.