§ Mr. D. Jonesasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what difficulties there are in Jamaica in handing back the land from which bauxite has been mined to the original tenants after the land has been restored.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe companies are not permitted by law to mine land other than that which they own. They have a good record in allowing the previous owners to cultivate as tenants the land not yet required for mining and in a number of cases they have provided alternative land for small landowners. The question of what should be done with the land after it has been mined and restored has not yet arisen.
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§ Mr. D. Jonesasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how much of the agricultural land in Jamaica, bought by the bauxite companies, is not being used for mining; and what proportion of such land is occupied by the former owners as tenants.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe Government of Jamaica inform me that no figures exist showing either the amount of cultivable agricultural land in the total of approximately 135,000 acres owned or held under option by the companies, or the number of former owners who now cultivate as tenants. No estimate of the amount of land actually mined is available but five mining leases covering a total of 12,670 acres have so far been granted to three companies.