§ 60. Mr. EMLYN-JONESasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of tithes paid by occupiers of agricultural land for the latest period for which figures are available, and what charge per acre of agricultural land the payment of the tithes involved?
§ The MINISTER of AGRICULTURE (Sir Robert Sanders)I have been asked to reply. Under Section 1 of the Tithe Act, 1891, tithe rent-charge is payable by the owner of the land and not by the occupier as such. The total amount of tithe rent-charge now arising from lands in England and Wales is £3,400,000. Most of this amount is charged on agricultural lands, but it is impossible to state separately the exact amounts payable by rural and urban landowners, respectively. The rate at which different lands in different parishes, or even in the same parish, are charged with tithe rent-charge varies greatly, but the average for the whole country may roughly be estimated at 3s. 6d. per acre.