§ 40. Sir KINGSLEY WOODasked the Minister of Agriculture what further progress, if any, has been made by local authorities in reacquiring under the statutory powers land now held as allotments which is to be surrendered from the provisions of the war emergency legislation on the 25th of this month; whether he can state approximately the total amount of land still to be acquired by councils; and what further steps he proposes to take to hasten the acquisition of this land or the provision of alternative land for allotment holders who will be dispossessed?
§ The MINISTER of AGRICULTURE (Sir Robert Sanders)The Ministry has done everything possible by inspectors' visits and otherwise in the direction of urging local authorities to use their powers of re-acquring, under the Allotments Acts, land at present used for allotments under D.O.R.A. powers. The Ministry has every reason to think that a large propor- 2076 tion of such land has been re-acquired, or, where this has proved impracticable, alternative land has been obtained, but, as stated in the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend on the 19th February last, it is not possible to give even an approximate figure of the land acquired, and I am unwilling to impose upon allotment authorities additional work by calling for a statistical return.
§ Sir K. WOODWill the right hon. Gentleman send one final communication before the 25th inst. to these authorities, inasmuch as a large number of allotment holders will otherwise be dispossessed?
§ Sir R. SANDERSI will consider that suggestion.