HC Deb 19 September 1940 vol 365 cc195-6
51. Mr. De la Bère

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether the farm survey to ascertain the potentialities for increased food production is yet ready for publication; and why his Department did not initiate this survey in 1938 and complete it 12 months ago to enable the agricultural industry, without the loss of a whole year, to begin to increase food production by making the better and earlier arrangements as recommended in lines 4 to 8 of paragraph 43 of the Tenth Report of the Committee on National Expenditure?

Mr. Munro

I have been asked to reply. The answer to the first part of the Question is in the negative. As regards the second, the ploughing-up campaign of 1939 was in fact based on a statistical survey made before the outbreak of war.