§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to reduce the disincentives to tenants from moving from Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 tenancies to farm business tenancies under the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995. [64731]
§ Mr. RookerThere are no plans to re-visit the agricultural holdings legislation. The Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 offers considerable flexibility for parties to negotiate farm business tenancies that best suit their respective interests.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many tenancies have been negotiated, in each year, since the coming into force of the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995. [64727]
§ Mr. RookerPrecise information is not available. The Annual Survey of Tenanted Land is a sample survey and does not allow a definitive overall number of tenancies to be given. However, the results of a policy evaluation, conducted by the University of Plymouth in 1996 and published in January 1998, indicated that some 5,000 new tenancies had been created in the first year since the Act came into force.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what impact the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 has had on encouraging new entrants into the agricultural industry. [64729]
§ Mr. RookerA policy evaluation was conducted by the University of Plymouth in 1996 and its findings published in January 1998. This showed that some 5,000 tenancies were created in the first year of the Act, covering about 200,000 hectares of land. A copy of the report was placed in the House Library.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will amend the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 to allow landlords and tenants to agree that the provisions of the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 will apply to the agricultural holding. [64732]
§ Mr. RookerThere are no plans to amend the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995. The flexibility available under the Act enables parties to tailor their tenancy agreements according to their respective needs. If they wish to do so, many features of a tenancy under the 1986 Act could be included.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to review the operation of the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995. [64728]
§ Mr. RookerAn independent policy evaluation was carried out in 1996 by the University of Plymouth. A copy of the report was placed in the Library of the House in January 1998. There are no immediate plans to carry out a further review.
128W
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what impact the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 has had on tenancy progressions on tenanted estates. [64730]
§ Mr. RookerAny policy of progression by tenants within individual estates is a matter for landlords. The Ministry has not conducted any specific survey into this matter, and has no plans to do so.