Business of the House Debate

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Department: Leader of the House

Business of the House

Thomas Docherty Excerpts
Thursday 31st March 2011

(13 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Thomas Docherty Portrait Thomas Docherty (Dunfermline and West Fife) (Lab)
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The House will be shocked to learn that yesterday, during an evidence hearing held by the Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told the Committee that she planned to restart the sale of Forestry Commission land. Will the Leader of the House update us as to why we have had yet another U-turn by the most hapless Secretary of State in Cabinet?

Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Sir George Young
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We inherited an ongoing programme of sales of Forestry Commission land from the previous Government. All new sales of forestry land were halted on 17 February. We will decide on the level of any future sales and the conditions to be attached, but only once we have received advice from the independent panel that we recently set up.