§ Mr. RILEYasked the Minister of Agriculture the amount of land acquired by the county councils in England and Wales for small holdings since 1919; the number of smallholders settled upon the land; if any small holdings acquired by the county councils have since been given up; and, if so, the number of such holdings?
Mr. WOOD255,707 acres have been acquired for small holdings by county councils and the councils of county boroughs since the Armistice. The number of men settled on this acreage at the present time is 16,338, but an additional 2,364 have been since 1918 provided with holdings on land acquired before that date. 18,624 acres of land acquired since 1919 have been disposed of, but practically the whole of this represents portions of large estates which were unsuitable for small holdings and have never been used for that purpose.