§ Mr. J. E. B. Hillasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the estimated total gross fixed investment in agriculture, excluding forestry and fishing, in 1954; how this sum was divided as between vehicles, plant and buildings; and to define the items, and their values, which comprise these three categories.
Mr. Amory:The total of gross fixed investment for agriculture is estimated to have been£88 million for Great Britain in 1954; this comprises£4 million for public investment (mainly building work but not including arterial drainage) and£84 million for private investment. The private investment is divided between£55 million for plant and machinery,£6 million for vehicles and£23 million for building and construction. All the figures include purchases for replacement. Plant and machinery includes such items as glasshouses and poultry houses; vehicles include farm lorries and vans but not cars; building and construction includes farm houses as well as farm buildings, water supplies and farm drainage, but not farm cottages.