To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of land in England is (a) woodland and (b) covered by peat. (281980)

The provisional figure published in June this year for woodland is 1.128 million hectares or 9 per cent. of England's land area.

It is estimated that 3-4 per cent. of England's land area is covered by peat soils. This figure refers to substantial peat deposits of at least 40cm in depth. This estimate excludes small pockets of peat in areas that are mapped as part of other soil types.