§ 51. Mr. Kimballasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of land in the eight airfields under his management in the area of Lincolnshire administered by the Lindsey County Council have been sold; and when he expects to complete the sale of all this land.
§ Mr. GodberNegotiations are in progress or will begin shortly for the sale of nearly one-third of the 3,400 acres in question and a price has been agreed for a further 123 acres. I cannot say when the sale of all the land is likely to be completed, but the work will be pressed forward as quickly as possible.
§ Mr. KimballIs my hon. Friend aware that we hear a great deal these days about cuts in defence expenditure and that one of the very best ways of convincing the people in the countryside that the cuts are a reality would be to tidy up the aerodromes and get them back into agricultural production?
§ Mr. GodberI sympathise very much with the point of view that my hon. 22 Friend has put forward. We are most anxious to go ahead in this direction, but it is a very involved and complicated procedure. I will, however, give him a pledge that we will do all we possibly can to speed it up.