THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWNMy Lords, seeing the noble Lord who represents the Scottish Office in his place, I wish to ask him a question of which I have given him private notice, namely, whether he can give the House the number of petitions, with the names of the parties petitioning, which have been received by the Scottish Office in favour of the establishment of a separate Board of Agricultural Commissioners for Scotland, and the number of petitions which have been lodged against it.
LORD HAMILTON OF DALZELLMy Lords, the noble Earl has not given very long notice of this question, and I have come here with all the information I have been able to obtain on the subject. I cannot find that there are any petitions; but a limited number of resolutions have been forwarded to the Scottish Office, five of which are against the proposed transfer of powers and two in favour. The resolutions against the proposed transfer are from the Scottish Chamber of Agriculture, the Highland and Agricultural Society, the Renfrewshire Agricultural Society, 681 the County Council of Ross and Cromarty, and the Association of County Councils; and those in favour are from the Fenwick Farmers' Society and the Glasgow Local Authority, being the executive under the Diseases of Animals Act.