§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total number of farms in Scotland under tenancy agreements, and what is the average area of such farms, at appropriate intervals from 1950 to the present.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownIn 1950 there were about 56,000 agricultural units tenanted or mainly tenanted; in 1960 39,000; in 1970 31,000; and in 1977 28,000. The average area of these units in each year was 60 hectares, 69 hectares, 82 hectares and 88 hectares respectively. Much of the reduction in the number of tenanted units is the result of changes in the basis of census enumeration, and the following percentage figures representing the proportion of318W total units in each year which were tenanted or mainly tenanted may be more meaningful: 1950–75 per cent., 1960–64 per cent., 1970–57 per cent. and 1977–55 per cent.