EXPERIMENTAL FARM BUILDINGS (Hansard, 16 February 1960)

§ LORD WISE
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL AND MINISTER FOR SCIENCE (VISCOUNT HAILSHAM)
My Lords, before I answer this Question may I, in order to apologise, draw attention to a printer's error contained in the Notices which were circulated last Friday? In that Notice, the word "farm", which correctly appears in the noble Lord's Question, was omitted between the words experimental "and buildings". The Question is relating to "experimental farm buildings".
Much research has been and is being done on the basic requirements which 5 farm buildings should supply. It has, however, become increasingly apparent that there is a lack of facilities for development work to bridge the gap between research and practical application, and a need for trials of experimental buildings. Development work and trials of this kind can best be carried out on farms, which can be chosen to provide the necessary range of conditions, rather than at a research centre or centres.
To meet this situation, and at the same time to overcome the difficulty that buildings of an experimental or unproved nature would not qualify for assistance under the Farm Improvement Scheme, the Agricultural Research Council proposes to introduce a scheme of co-ordinated experiments under which grants, up to a maximum of 50 per cent. of the approved cost, would be available for the erection in approved cases of experimental buildings or structures on farms, or for incorporating experimental features in traditional buildings. The scheme will be administered under the supervision of the Farm Buildings Research Committee of the Council, of which Sir Walter Drummond is the Chairman, and the experimental work will be under the control of the Council's Farm Buildings Unit. In return for a grant under this scheme, the farmer or landowner by whom the building is erected will be required to co-operate with the Farm Buildings Unit in the design of the building and to provide facilities for the inspection of the building and the observations required during the course of the investigation.
The scheme will be administered and the grants will be payable by the Agricultural Research Council. In no case will a grant be awarded for a building project for which a grant is being made under any other Government scheme. Experimental or unproved buildings are not in any case eligible for a grant under the Farm Improvement Scheme, where grant may only be given if the building is such as a prudent landlord would erect and is such as would clearly provide longterm benefit to the land at a reasonable cost.
It is not intended to give grant-aid in respect of all projects which comply with specified conditions but only in respect of proposals that can suitably form part of the experimental programme of the Farm Buildings Research Committee. 6 Applications for grant will not in any case be considered in respect of building projects which have already been started. Further particulars of the scheme, and the way in which application should be made for grants under the scheme, will be announced in due course. Farms in England, Wales and Scotland will be eligible for grants under this scheme. The scheme will not cover Northern Ireland.

§ LORD WISE
My Lords, I thank the noble Viscount for that very comprehensive Answer, which I am certain will be acceptable to the industry. I hope that in the long run it will have the effect of improving our farm buildings. There is just one question I should like to ask: that is, whether horticulture comes into this scheme. Will horticultural buildings receive a 50 per cent. grant aid, as I understand that at the present time they are entitled to only 33⅓ per cent.?

§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAM
My Lords, horticultural buildings now qualify for grant under the improvement scheme, but this scheme is outside that and there is not necessarily an analogy. So far as I know, they do, but I should wish to have notice, if I were to give a final answer to that question.

§ LORD STONHAM
My Lords, if the noble Viscount is writing to my noble friend on that point with regard to horticultural experimental buildings, would he include in his answer information as to whether these sums on horticultural experimental buildings will be additional to any of the grants which the Government are going to provide under the Horticultural Bill—some £7½ million?

§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAM
My Lords, I will certainly consider that point. I do not know what the answer is.

§ LORD TAYLOR
My Lords, could the noble Viscount say whether there is a ceiling to the amount of money available for this excellent scheme? And is it being done in collaboration with the recent work done by the Nuffield Division of Advanced Architecture on Experimental Farm Buildings?

§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAM
My Lords, the work which is being done by the Nuffield organisation is being done, I hope, in a full sense of scientific liaison 7 with the Agricultural Research Council. But this scheme will be under the Council only and would have to be considered as a separate entity by Parliament.

§ LORD TAYLOR
My Lords, will there be a ceiling to the amount of money available?

§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAM
My Lords, I am not sure what the noble Lord means by "ceiling". No doubt the amount is not unlimited.

§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGH
My Lords, would the noble Viscount the Lord Privy Seal consider submitting to the Agricultural Research Council the advisability, when preparing to deal with any project under this scheme, of keeping in mind the necessity for having experiments in different climates within Great Britain, in different rainfalls and on different sizes of farms, and the like, so that we can get the best advantage from the results of the experiments to all the people concerned?

§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAM
My Lords, I certainly will bring this point to the attention of the Agricultural Research Council. My recollection is that this is exactly one of the reasons which led them to prefer grants to farmers on farms rather than carry out experiments themselves at agricultural research stations.