To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much Forestry Commission land was sold in each of England, Scotland and Wales in the 12 months to 1 April; and how much of this land was subject to agreement securing future public access.

The information is as follows. The figures given are provisional at this stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what policies he has adopted to secure continuing public access to Forestry Commission land sold to the private sector; and if he will make a statement.

The Government are concerned that the general public should continue to enjoy access to those forests to be disposed of by the Forestry Commission in a way which is compatible with their management for forestry and other purposes. We are giving careful consideration to ways of achieving this objective, but a number of complex issues is having to be addressed. In the meantime, the commission is deferring the sale of woodlands that are particularly sensitive from the point of view of public access, except in those cases where the sale is to an environmental body under the sponsorship arrangements.