§ Sir T. Mooreasked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of acres ploughed up by tractors in Scotland in the last six months; and whether he is convinced that all such tractors have been fully and regularly used?
§ Mr. ColvilleI regret that no information is available as to the number of acres ploughed up by all tractors in Scotland during the last six months, but it is estimated that some 6,000 acres have been ploughed up by tractors owned by the Government, which, of course, represent only a small percentage of the total number of tractors in Scotland. With regard to the second part of the Question the prolonged spell of severe weather during the winter made ploughing impracticable for many weeks in all parts of the country. Since then, I have reason to believe, all available tractor outfits have been in use to the fullest possible extent.