§ Commander O. LOCKER-LAMPSONasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture whether he is aware that the prices at which land has been acquired in Huntingdonshire and elsewhere involve the payment of so high a rent by the tenants that the holdings may not be economically workable; and what steps he proposes to take in order to meet "this difficulty?
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Sir A. BOSCAVYENI am not prepared to admit that land has been acquired in Huntingdonshire or other counties for small holdings in excess of its present market value. My hon. and gallant Friend is, however, under a misapprehension as to the method adopted for fixing rents. The rents charged to the ex-service smallholders are not based on the cost of the land and its equipment, but are fair rents approved by the Ministry, having regard to all the circumstances of the case.