§ Mr. SWANasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture whether the area of unproductive land in Great Britain is now larger than at any period during the last thirty-five years; whether the Government accept responsibility for this state of affairs; and, if not, can he give an explanation?
Sir A. BOSCAWENThe area under crops and grass is now smaller than at any period during the last 35 years. The explanation is that more land has been required for housing and for industries for the additional 10,000,000 to 11,000,000 persons by which the population of Great Britain has increased during the period.