§ Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Agriculture (I) whether he will introduce legislation which will provide that, before any farmer can be dispossessed and deprived of his house, alternative accommodation shall be provided, in a similar way that the town dweller is protected by the Rent Restrictions Acts;
(2) whether he will introduce legislation that when his Department takes possession of a farm the in-going valuation and tenant right to be paid by his Department should be settled by each party appointing a valuer to agree on such valuation and, in default of agreement, the valuers should appoint an umpire;
(3) whether he will introduce legislation which will enable any farmer dispossessed to be paid compensation for disturbance to the same amount and in the same way that a private landlord would have to pay his tenant under the Agricultural Holdings Act;
(4) whether he will introduce legislation providing that, in cases where crops are ordered to be grown or work executed which do not allow of a profit for the farmer, the farmer should not be dispossessed for this reason, but should be permitted to do the work and be paid by his Department on a cost-of-works basis;
(5) whether he will introduce legislation that before a farmer can be dispossessed he should have the right of appeal from a dispossession appeal panel to a county court, in order to put the Minister in the same position as any other litigant.
§ Mr. T. Williams:The points raised will be considered in connection with legisla- 220W tion to give effect to the Government's agricultural policy, which is now being prepared. I am unable to make any statement on details in anticipation of the Bill.