§ 4. Mr. Kenneth Lewisasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he now proposes to take to prevent the further purchase of land for farming by financial institutions and foreign nationals.
§ Mr. StrangMy right hon. Friend the Minister has already asked Lord Northfield and his committee to examine recent trends in agricultural land acquisition and occupancy, which includes the purchase of land by financial institutions and foreign nationals.
§ Mr. LewisI wonder whether we can wait much longer. Is there not an invasion of England's green and pleasant land by the Germans and the Dutch who are buying up land? Is it not just as important to prevent the export of land—the takeover of land—as it is to prevent the takeover and export of objects of art and pictures?
§ Mr. StrangThe hon. Gentleman has put his finger on a point that undoubtedly is causing great concern in the countryside—namely, not only the acquisition of land by overseas nationals but the increasing acquisition of land by large financial institutions.
§ Mr. SpearingDoes my hon. Friend agree that the cost of land before we went into the Common Market was £500 a hectare and that it is now £2,000 a hectare? Is it not true that the question from the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford (Mr. Lewis) shows that the idea that a free market in land, goods or capital will give greater prosperity or security to communities is a facile one which does not hold water?
§ Mr. StrangIt is certainly true that there has been a sharp increase in land prices. It is also true—I speak here particularly as a Scot—that acquisitions have been made not only by nationals from within the Community but by Arabs and others.
§ Mr. WelshDoes the hon. Gentleman agree that there is great concern in Scotland's green and pleasant land about the present massive purchases of our land by foreign nationals and by large companies? Does he agree that provision of a public national land register showing clearly who owns the land, how much and for what purposes would help to clarify the debate, and will he encourage his colleagues to institute such a register as a matter of priority?
§ Mr. StrangThe hon. Gentleman is well aware of my long-standing concern about the land issue in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands. However, I must point out that my responsibilities in this matter extend only to England and Wales. The hon. Gentleman might be interested to know that in February last year I announced a pilot study to examine the feasibility of a full survey of the ownership of agricultural land in England and Wales.