§ 20. Mr. STEPHENasked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of people in receipt of able-bodied relief in Glasgow from the respective parish councils; the number a year ago at the same date; and the total amount of relief paid in each year at those dates?
§ Major ELLIOTAs the answer involves a number of figures, I propose, with the hon. Member's permission, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the answer:
§ The following table contains particulars of the number of persons in receipt of able-bodied relief in the parishes of Glasgow and Govan at the 12th March in each of the years 1927 and 1928, together with the amount of relief paid in each year ended at these dates:
§ house is about, to be erected on the small holding of Springbank, near Brodick, Arran, an d that the party who has secured the site and is erecting the building is not resident in the district but in another part of the island; whether he is 967 aware that similar encroachments on small holdings have in recent years taken place on this same estate in the Island of Arran; and whether he contemplates taking any action in the matter?
§ Major ELLIOTThe Land Court have no knowledge of the case referred to. My right hon. Friend understands that a boarding house is being erected on feuing ground adjacent to, but lying outwith, the smallholdings constituted on Spring-bank Farm. Three applications for partial resumption of holdings in Arran for feuing purposes, were made to the Land Court in 1924, one in 1925, two in 1926 and none in 1927. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.
§ 15. Mr. BARRasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has considered the numerous cases in which there has been resumption of small holdings, in whole or in part, for building purposes or for the personal or family requirements of owners, under the Acts of 1886 and 1911; whether he is aware that the security of tenure of crofters and statutory small landholders is thereby being impaired; whether he will take steps to discourage the breaking up in this way of holdings, especially in cases where alternative sites are available; and, if his powers are not sufficient, whether he will introduce the necessary amending legislation?
§ Major ELLIOTThe resumption of smallholdings can only be effected after application to the Land Court, and with their authority, for purposes specified in the Small Landholders Acts, and the cases are enumerated in the Court's Annual Reports. The extent to which small holdings are affected may be measured by the fact that, since 1923, 154 applications have been granted by the Court, a number of these being for partial resumption. My right hon. Friend sees no necessity for legislation.
§ Mr. BARRIs there not great hardship in a case where there is only an acre and a half of arable land and where perhaps half-an-acre is taken for building? I have such a case in mind; and does the hon. and gallant Gentleman not recognise that that is a serious encroachment on the small piece of arable land held by the crofter?
§ Major ELLIOTI am sure that would be regarded as a thing which must be carefully guarded, and that is why it can only be put through after an application to the Land Court which considers each specific case and goes into all the details concerning it.