HC Deb 17 July 1963 vol 681 cc514-5
31. Mr. Rankin

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of Scotland's 18,946,694 acres of land are still under private ownership.

Mr. Brooman-White

This information could not be obtained without unjustifiable expense of time and labour.

Mr. Rankin

Is the Under-Secretary not aware that a Liberal Government in decline in 1873 was able to undertake this job? Is it because the present Government are in greater decline that they are unable to undertake it today? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that a week or two ago his right hon. Friend informed me that the Secretary of State was Scotland's greatest landowner, with 1,900,000 acres? Can we assume from that that something like 16 million acres are still in the hands of private owners? As a result, is he aware that the City of Glasgow is today paying more than £8,000 per acre for the land it requires for housing development? When do the Government propose to stop this type of exploitation?

Mr. Brooman-White

I cannot agree with those assumptions.

Mr. Rankin

They are not assumptions.

Mr. Brooman-White

I am advised that to get these figures out would take a great deal of work and that the result would be imprecise. As to the activities of the Liberal Party, the hon. Member can draw what conclusions he wishes.

Mr. Ross

Is the new statistical department of the Scottish Office not able to subtract? Surely the statisticians can, without too much work, find out how much land is publicly owned and then subtract one figure from the total?

Mr. Broman-White

That is exactly the calculation that would have to be made. We would have to ask all public authorities of all kinds in Scotland to send in returns. The necessary figure would have to be subtracted from the total and this would involve public authorities in a great deal of work with, as I said, an imprecise result.

Mr. Rankin

Is the Under-Secretary telling us, as his Answer seemed to imply, that he is not interested in the fact that Glasgow is now paying over £8,000 an acre to private landlords for the ground the city needs to house its people?

Mr. Brooman-White

That is a different question.