§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the number of repossession orders in agriculture in England at the latest date for which the figures are available.
§ Mr. BishopI understand from the Lord Chancellor's Department that the appropriate figure for England within the figures shown in Civil Judicial Statistics for 1974 was 1,170.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the percentages of agricultural workers in service houses in England since the Second World War.
§ Mr. BishopThere are no official and separate figures for England and Wales in the form requested. Figures taken from sample inquiries carried out by my Ministry covering England and Wales jointly show the following approximate percentages of regular whole-time male workers receiving payments-in-kind in respect of a house in the years specified:
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Year Ending Percentage 31st December 1974 55 30th September 1964 50 30th September 1954 45 30th September 1948 (first available) 34
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the percentages, by category of employment, for full-time male agricultural workers in England housed in service houses at the latest date for which the figures are available.
§ Mr. BishopI regret that information is not available separately for England and for Wales. A sample inquiry carried out by my Ministry in 1974 showed the following approximate percentages, by employment category, of hired regular whole-time male workers in England and Wales receiving payments in kind in respect of a house:
percentage Foremen 71 Dairy cowmen 80 Other Stockmen 62 Tractor Drivers 63 General farm workers 48 Horticultural workers 22 Other farm workers 50
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the percentage of men housed in agricultural service houses in England at the latest date for which the figures are available.
§ Mr. BishopI regret that information is not available in the form requested, nor separately for England and for Wales. A sample inquiry carried out by my Ministry in 1974 showed that approximately 55 per cent. of hired regular whole-time male agricultural workers in England and Wales received payment in kind in respect of a house.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the approximate number of full-time hired agricultural labourers living in service houses in England at the latest date for which the figures are available.
§ Mr. BishopIn the consultative document "Abolition of the Tied Cottage System in Agriculture" issued last August, an estimate was given of some 63,000 cottages in England and Wales being occupied by hired regular whole-time farm workers. Of this number, it seems likely that rather more than 61,000 are in England.
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