§ VISCOUNT LONGasked His Majesty's Government how many acres are farmed by the Wiltshire Agricultural Committee, and what is the overall charge to the public, and whether any attempt has been made to let or sell to farmers land at present farmed by the Wiltshire Agricultural Committee.
§ THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES (THE EARL OF HUNTINGDON)The Wiltshire Agricultural Executive Committee are responsible for the cultivation of 7,945 acres, of which they themselves are farming 4,447 acres. It is not the practice to give the results of trading operations, including farming operations, of individual county agricultural executive committees because separate figures would fail to give a fair picture of the work done. The Committee cannot sell or grant agricultural tenancies for this land, because they are not the owners, but out of the total area of 7,945 acres in their possession they have arranged for 3,498 acres to be cultivated by farmers with whom they have made contracts of occupation within their title to occupy the land.
§ VISCOUNT LONGasked His Majesty's Government how many vehicles are owned by the Wiltshire Agricultural Committee, and the amount of petrol used in these vehicles for the current year.
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§ THE EARL OF HUNTINGDONIn the six months ended September 30, 1948, the Wiltshire Agricultural Executive Committee held an average of 288 vans and lorries and six official cars. These consumed, respectively, 104,736 gallons and 994 gallons of petrol in that period, which is the latest for which figures are available. The number of vehicles held at the present time is 256, or about 13 per cent. less than it was earlier this year. Petrol consumption has been reduced by more than 20 per cent. compared with the same period.
§ VISCOUNT LONGasked His Majesty's Government how many persons are employed throughout the year by the Wiltshire Agricultural Committee; further, how many persons are paid for a whole year but who have only worked spasmodically during the past year, owing to the fact that there has not been work for them to do, and, further, the average hours worked on farms by members of the W.L.A. gangs for the year ending September 29, 1948.
§ THE EARL OF HUNTINGDONOn November 1, 1948, there were 1,681 persons in the regular employment of the Wiltshire Agricultural Executive Committee. This figure includes administrative and clerical staff. Of the Committee's agricultural workers, the number wholly unemployed owing to lack of work (excluding wet weather interference) during the past twelve months was negligible. As regards the last part of the question, information is not available for the whole period referred to by the noble Viscount, but in the three months' period April 1 to June 30, 1948, the average number of hours worked on farms by the Women's Land Army members in the Wiltshire Committee's gangs was 456 hours, or 37 hours per week. Most of the difference between this figure and the normal working week of 48 hours is made up of wet and travelling time, holidays and sickness.
House adjourned at twenty-six minutes past four o'clock.