Mr. ROBINSONasked the Minister of Agriculture if there is any provision for assisting ex-service men to get on the land, and to whom application should be made; and what grants are available to assist these men in the purchase of poultry, pigs, and cattle, and the setting up of their small holdings?
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Mr. GUINNESSEx-service men who possess the necessary farming knowledge and capital are eligible to apply for a small holding to the county council for the county in which they live, or if they reside in a county borough where small holdings have been provided, then to the council of that county borough. No new holdings are being provided by local authorities at the present time, but I hope that a fresh start will be made when the Small Holdings and Allotments Bill now before the House is passed into law. In reply to the last part of the question, Section 18 of the Land Settlement (Facilities) Act, 1919, provides certain facilities for loans to tenants of statutory small holdings, but, for the reasons given in the White Paper dealing with the Bill to which I have referred, it is proposed to repeal this Section.