§ Sir A. SINCLAIRasked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health whether he is aware that the harvest in Caithness and Sutherland was extraordinarily late last season, with the result that there is in both counties a considerable scarcity of suitable seed for sowing this year's crop; that this difficulty is particularly felt among the smallholders around the coasts of both counties; and whether, if applications for grants for the purpose of providing suitable seed potatoes and seed oats should be made under the Congested Districts (Scotland) Act of 1897, Section 4 (b), to the Board of Agriculture by representative crofters in the districts affected, seed oats and seed potatoes will be supplied as on former occasions when had harvests have occurred?
§ Captain ELLIOTI understand that owing to the late harvest last year there is a scarcity of locally-produced seed in Caithness and Sutherland this season. A large number of applications has been received by the Board of Agriculture for Scotland from smallholders in this and other counties for financial aid towards the supply of seed oats and seed potatoes. These applications have not been acceded to because the Board do not consider that the circumstances justify the expenditure which would be involved. My Noble Friend cannot undertake to modify this decision.