§ 34. Mr. BUXTONasked the Minister of Agriculture the number of small holdings and the total area held by civilians and ex-service men, respectively, under county councils in England and Wales?
Mr. GUINNESAs the reply is rather long, and contains a number of figures, I propose, with the right hon. Gentleman's permission, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the reply :
§ The latest returns in the Ministry's possession indicate that in July, 1925, there were on small holdings provided by county councils and councils of county boroughs in England and Wales under the land settlement scheme: 14,365 ex-service men occupying 217,271 acres; 1,845 civilians occupying 24,044 acres. In addition, there. were 13,270 men occupying 189,045 acres provided by councils during the period 1908 to 1918, but I have no information as to how many of these holdings are occupied by ex-service men. Of the pre-War holdings that have been relet since 1918, 1,983 with an acreage of 28,203 acres have been let 17 to ex-service men, and 492 with an acreage of 7,999 acres to civilians. More recent returns are at present being tabulated, but they are not likely to show any considerable variation from the figures I have quoted.