HC Deb 28 July 1977 vol 936 cc917-9
8. Michael Latham

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what administrative priority is given within his Department to the preservation of good agricultural land.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. Gavin Strang)

The preservation of good agricultural land is one of the highest priorities of the Lands Group in my Department's Headquarters and the Land Services of the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service, in the field.

Mr. Latham

Since the Minister's Department objected to only 20 per cent. of the applications put before it last year and does not even know how many of those applications were subsequently refused, is it surprising that farmers do not really think that his Department takes its responsibilities seriously?

Mr. Strang

No. The hon. Gentleman is quite unfair in his attitude. It was this Government who, in 1976, placed a statutory requirement on local planning authorities to consult the Ministry of Agriculture if they intended to develop more than 10 acres of agricultural land.

Mr. Newens

In no way do I associate myself with the hon. Member for Melton (Mr. Latham), but does not my hon. Friend agree that present controls are inadequate to prevent the dumping of waste, the removal of topsoil, the laying of concrete and the desecration and destruction of good agricultural land by those people who have no scruples about environmental matters? Does he not think that it is time that the Ministry had another look at this situation? I believe that it is quite unsatisfactory.

Mr. Strang

I agree that this is an area in which we must remain eternally vigilant. We must also recognise that—I know that this is not what my hon. Friend is referring to, and I shall be happy to investigate the specific points that he has raised—the building of new schools, and houses where people can have gardens of their own, represents progress and increases our national wealth. The challenge is not to stop these developments; it is to see that they take place in a way that minimises the loss of agricultural land and, so far as is practicable, are directed to areas of land which are not of such high agricultural potential.

Mr. Peter Mills

Will the Minister bear in mind that, particularly in the South-West of England, there are growing problems over the preservation of good agricultural land? In particular, will he note that there is the possibility of the flooding of hundreds of acres of land for a new reservoir at Roadford? Will he see that a determined effort is made to stop this sort of thing and to ensure that reservoirs are put where they should be—on Dartmoor, or on poor land?

Mr. Strang

I assure the House that the Government are determined to do everything possible to minimize the loss of good land from agriculture. I remind Tory Members that was their Government in 1971 who slackened the situation and weakened the power of the Ministry of Agriculture in these matters.