Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement mechanisms for the development of tree planting and woodland restoration policy.

Defra Ministers and officials regularly engage with stakeholders on tree planting and woodland restoration policy through one-to-one meetings and wider stakeholder engagement forums. In addition, the Forestry Commission carries out a broad set of stakeholder engagement such as through their Delivery Advisory Group and regional Forestry and Woodland Advisory Committees, as well as regular events across the country. This activity is amplified by extensive regional and national press coverage helping raise awareness of trees and woodlands.