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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons Natural England has the power under the Environmental Impact Assessment regulations to require a site to be restored if environmental damage has been caused by agricultural expansion but the Forestry Commission does not have that power if environmental damage is caused by forestry expansion.

The Forestry Commission does have powers under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Forestry Regulations to require site restoration in cases where activities that required consent have been undertaken without the required consent.