§ Mr. WEDGWOODasked the President of the Board of Agriculture (1) with reference to the Annual Report on Small Holdings, will he endeavour to obtain from county councils and have embodied in future Reports figures showing the rateable value of the land and buildings leased or purchased before acquisition and when let to smallholders; and (2) whether his Department is taking any, and, if so, what steps to induce those county councils that have not yet appointed full-time land agents to work the Small Holdings Act to do so?
§ Mr. HERBERT LEWIS (for Mr. Runciman)(1) The information desired by my hon. Friend could only be furnished in those cases in which the land was assessed as a separate unit prior to its acquisition for small holdings. The number of such cases is comparatively small. Any information which will throw light on this subject will be welcomed by my right hon. Friend. (2) The Board have no authority to require county councils to appoint land agents or to lay down the conditions of their appointment. But it would be the duty of the Board to make representations to the county council in any case in which the arrangements for the administration of the Act are found to be unsatisfactory, and the Board have already adopted this course in several instances with satisfactory results.