§ Mr. Watkinsasked the Minister of Agriculture if his attention has been directed to the high prices at which farms are changing hands in various parts of the country; and if he has any policy formulated to prevent this form of speculation, which will eventually add unnecessary charges to food production.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsI am aware that in many cases farms are now being sold at substantially higher prices than before the war but I do not consider that in the majority of cases these higher prices can be regarded as a form of speculation. My temporary powers under Defence Regulation 62 (4A) to refuse to consent to a notice to quit in cases where the holding has been sold since 3rd September, 1939, are designed to check speculation, but the whole problem is one that is receiving my careful consideration in connection with the permanent land policy legislation which I shall be introducing as soon as Parliamentary time is available.