§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of Forestry Commission woodlands in Wales has been sold off since 1981. [34675]
§ Mr. Jonathan EvansThe question relates to matters undertaken by Forest Enterprise. I have asked its chief executive, Mr. Gordon Cowie, to reply.
Letter from Gordon M. Cowie to Mr. Barry Jones, dated 2 July 1996:
The Secretary of State for Wales has asked me to reply to your Question about the percentage of woodlands sold in Wales.Forest Enterprise sold 16,842 hectares of woodland in Wales between 1981 and March 1996 and this represents some 12% of the area owned in 1981.
§ Mr. JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many Forestry Commission woodlands there were in 1981; and how many now exist in what was the former county of Clwyd. [34676]
§ Mr. EvansThere are no records of the number of individual woodlands in Clwyd, but the area of woodland is estimated to have increased since 1981 from some 22,000 hectares to nearly 23,000 hectares.