HC Deb 23 July 1956 vol 557 cc19-20
26. Mr. Harold Davies

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many acres of farm land are unavailable for farming because they are occupied by derelict sites of the Fighting Services.

Mr. Nugent

I regret that this information is not available.

Mr. Davies

If it is not available to the House, how is it that the Minister's own party could give the acreage in the document "All the Answers" during the last Election? If the Conservative Party, for personal party propaganda, could put forward fictitious figures at the General Election, can we not now, when the party is in power, have accurate figures?

Hon. Members

Answer.

Mr. Speaker

I do not think the Minister is responsible for the figures that were quoted.

27. Mr. Harold Davies

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at what rate of acreage per year Britain is losing agricultural land for development; and what acreage of farm land is now used for building or other uses of the Fighting Services.

Mr. Nugent

Precise figures of the loss of agricultural land are not available. The only information is by inference from the agricultural returns which are collected for other purposes and which exclude holdings of one acre or less and those parts of agricultural holdings not used for agricultural production. Subject to these reservations, the agricultural returns suggest that agricultural land in England and Wales has been lost to building development, mineral working and sports grounds at an average rate of about 37,000 acres a year over the last five years. As regards the last part of the Question, I regret that statistics are not available.

Mr. Davies

Whilst thanking the Minister for that answer, may I ask whether he realises that the document "All the Answers" used at the General Election gave a figure of 50,000 acres? Can we have some really accurate figures? Now that we are embarking upon a disarmament programme, will the Minister fight harder on behalf of the small farmer to prevent his land being retained as derelict sites, as it is in my constituency and in others at present?

Mr. Nugent

I can assure the hon. Member that the information which I have given him in this answer is correct.