Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:48 pm on 12 February 2019.
It does beg the question why it's taken six years and four separate reports for these deep failings to be uncovered in this way. Now, the standard response we've heard from the Government in situations like this is that this is an autonomous body for which you only have arm's-length responsibility, but you do have direct responsibility for your own Government's strategy for forestry and woodlands. Almost a decade ago, you adopted the ambitious and widely lauded target of planting 5,000 hectares of new woodland every year until 2030. You only managed an average of around 500 hectares a year, so you dropped the target to 2,000 hectares. Now, you've raised the target back up to 4,000 hectares. But can the First minister tell us how far short of the previous target you have fallen over the last four years?