§ Mr. WelshTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much(a) urban and (b) rural land, in hectares, is owned by local authorities in Scotland.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 28 October 1994]: No figures are kept centrally.
§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the arable land cover for Scotland in each of the past five years.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 28 October 1994]: The information requested is as follows:
Year 1989 1,065,286 1990 1,046,624 1991 1,023,055 1992 1,022,492 1993 1,019,899 Source:
June agricultural census.
The figures relate to the area of crops and fallow, including set-aside, and grass under five years old.
§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to ensure access to the countryside for leisure pursuits; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 28 October 1994]: The responsibility for promoting access to the countryside lies with Scottish Natural Heritage and local authorities. My right hon. Friend expects the recently published Scottish Natural Heritage paper, "Enjoying the Outdoors: A Programme for Action", to make a major contribution to the development of wider access to the countryside.
§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he plans to bring forward legislation to ensure the land register covers all the counties of Scotland; when he envisages its full implementation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 28 October 1994]: The land register for Scotland was created under the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979. At present the land register is operational in seven counties covering more than 40 per cent. of the Scottish housing stock. It is due to be extended to the county of Fife on 1 April 1995, and will be progressively extended to cover the remaining counties by 2003.
§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much land he expects the Forestry Commission to own in(a) 2000, (b) 2005 and (c) 2010; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 28 October 1994]: We expect the Forestry Commission to own just over 1 million hectares of land at the end of this century and the early part of the next.