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

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the recommendations of the report of the Tree Council Protecting trees of high social, cultural and environmental value published in April, and in developing an action plan for and improving the legal protection of important trees.

We are carefully considering expert recommendations laid out in the Tree Council and Forest Research report. It will be important to balance our approach with existing priorities and our statutory obligations.

We recognise the value of our most important trees and consider all ancient and veteran trees to be irreplaceable habitats. The Sycamore Gap sentencing demonstrates that our judicial system takes illegal tree felling seriously.