asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average time that elapses between the date of an application for a licence for felling timber and the actual issue of the licence by the Forestry Commission.

It would be impossible to state the average time taken without re-examining over 8,600 licences issued in the last year. However, where an inspection is unnecessary the licence is normally issued in about one week. Where an inspection is necessary, and no complications arise, the time taken is normally about four weeks.