§ Mr. Harold Daviesasked the Minister of Agriculture if he is prepared to publish the information collected by the county war agricultural committees on the extent and ownership of farms and land in this country.
Mr. WilliamsI am arranging for the publication of the principal statistical702W results of the National Farm Survey, which will provide considerable data on the occupancy and owner-occupancy of farms. The information on ownership obtained under the Survey amounts to little more than lists of owners' names of individual agricultural holdings, and does not lend itself to the provision of an estimate of the number of estates and their sizes. I am considering whether our agricultural statistics can be extended in this way.
§ Mr. Alpassasked the Minister of Agriculture how many farms in England and Wales are in Class C category; what is the area of such farms; and what steps he proposes to take to improve their state of cultivation.
Mr. WilliamsThe Farm Survey carried out over the period 1941–1943 showed that 14,500 holdings of five acres or more in England and Wales, covering an area of 1,210,000 acres, were then classed as "C." It is one of the duties of County War Agricultural Executive Committees to give advice and assistance to occupiers of "C" farms, coupled, where necessary, with detailed directions and supervision. As a last resort a Committee may take possession of a "C" farm.