§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ask Forest Enterprise, which produces 60 per cent of United Kingdom coniferous timber, to reduce the volume they produce annually, in the interests of obtaining better prices for all producers. [HL3530]
§ Baroness HaymanA reduction in the volume of timber produced by Forest Enterprise would not have a significant effect on prices, as the prices obtained by producers of coniferous timber in the United Kingdom are very strongly linked to the prices of imported timber. This is because the United Kingdom imports about 85 per cent of its timber requirements. The end users of timber grown in the United Kingdom would simply switch to using imported timber if UK timber was not available at a competitive price. We therefore have no plans to ask Forest Enterprise to reduce the volume that it produces.