All 1 Debates between Hugh Bayley and Caroline Spelman

Public Forest Estate (England)

Debate between Hugh Bayley and Caroline Spelman
Wednesday 2nd February 2011

(13 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Hugh Bayley Portrait Hugh Bayley
- Hansard - -

rose—

Caroline Spelman Portrait Mrs Spelman
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I will give way in a minute.

Fifthly, we are refocusing the work of the Forestry Commission so that rather than devoting expertise and resources to commercial activities that should not be performed by Government, it can focus on conducting research on combating the challenges of new tree diseases, maintaining and enforcing access rights, providing expert advice, giving grants, and discharging its duty as a regulator.

Caroline Spelman Portrait Mrs Spelman
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Permissive rights apply to 2,000 hectares of the public forest estate, which itself accounts for 18% of the woodland cover of the country.

Hugh Bayley Portrait Hugh Bayley
- Hansard - -

Talking of facts, I have here a parliamentary answer given to me by a former forests Minister in 1996. It records that under the previous Conservative Government 209,956 hectares of Forestry Commission land were sold. What proportion of that retained public access, what proportion went to community trusts, and what proportion of the new sales will go to such trusts?

Caroline Spelman Portrait Mrs Spelman
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

In 1996 I was not a Member of Parliament. I am dealing with a new policy, and that, it seems, is what Opposition Members are opposing.

What is most saddening about the debate is that rather than setting out her reasons for opposing our measures, the hon. Member for Wakefield insisted on sowing further misinformation and fear about what we are consulting on.