§ Mr. LAMBasked the Minister of Agriculture if he will state the expenditure defrayed on behalf of County Agricultural Committees by the Treasury under Sections 7 and 8 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Act, 1919, in each year since these Committees were constituted; and what is the provision made for such expenditure in the current financial year under each head of the statutory duties assigned to the Committees?
§ Mr. BUXTONThe following statement gives the payments by way of recoupment of expenditure incurred by County Agricultural Committees on certain statutory and other duties assigned to them, made to, or on behalf of such Committees in the past four years, together with an estimate of the sum required under each head during the present financial year:
Financial Year. £ £ 1920–1921 1,056,781 1921–1922 890,729 1922–1923 800,474 1923–1924 (approximate) 950,745 3,698,729 1924–1925. Small Holdings 900,000 Agricultural Education* 79,850 Destruction of Weeds 100 Staff and Incidental Expenses (including travelling and subsistence penses of members and expenses of inquiries under Section 8 (4) of Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Act, 1919). 60,000 1,039,059 4,738,679 * This figure relates only to the 24 counties in which the administration of Agricultural Education has been transferred to the Agricultural Committees under Section 7 (2) (1) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Act, 1919.