§ 50. Mr. HOGGEasked the Secretary for Scotland whether he will consider the possibility of postponing for a period the work of the Land Court in considering the rents of those already on the land until more headway has been made with placing new applicants on the land or, alternatively, arrange the work of the Court in such a way that whenever it sits for the former purpose it will at the same time deal with the second in the same place?
Mr. McKINNON WOODThe Land Court has arranged its work so far as possible in such a way that it has dealt with applications by the Board of Agriculture for Scotland for new holdings and enlargements at the same time as it arranged sittings in the district for the purpose of dealing with existing rents, and has given a preference to districts concerned in applications by the Board. This course was followed, for example, in Islay, Tiree, and Lismore this summer. Every application presented by the Board of Agriculture up to 1st July last has been heard by the Court with the exception of some applications from Orkney and one case of enlargement of pasture in Ross-shire, but in these cases steps have been taken to have minutes lodged by the respondents in order to prepare them for hearing in the autumn Session.