§ Mr. Carmichaelasked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science the total acreage of land, within the seven crofting counties, owned by the Nature Conservancy; and what is the number of gamekeepers employed on these lands.
§ Mr. Denzil FreethThe total acreage of land owned by the Nature Conservancy within the seven crofting counties of Argyll, Caithness, Inverness, Orkney, Ross and Cromarty, Shetland and Sutherland, is 45,284 acres. In addition the Conservancy have entered into Nature Reserve Agreements, under Section 16 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949, with various owners in respect of a further 75,732 acres, and hold a further 12t) acres under lease. The Conservancy does not employ gamekeepers, but six wardens and five estate workers are employed on these lands.