Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Walney and James Paice

Thursday 19th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[John Woodcock (Barrow and Furness) (Lab/Co-op)]

10. What discussions she has had with the chair of the independent forestry panel on its interim report.

[The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr James Paice)]

The chair of the Independent Panel on Forestry informed the Secretary of State and me on 28 November last year of the content of the panel’s progress report.

[John Woodcock]

But does the Minister accept the central recommendation from the interim report that the public forest estate should remain in public hands? What reassurance can he give the people of my constituency and the many thousands of others who enjoy nearby Grizedale forest that he has learned the lesson from the forest fiasco that marred the early months of this Administration?

[Mr Paice]

As I just said, this was a progress report. We await the final report some time later this spring. It is a report by the panel, and we will have to consider the panel’s conclusions when we get the final report later this year. I cannot comment on detail on an interim report.