§ 85. Mr. Attewellasked the Minister of Agriculture if he proposes to instruct the county agricultural committees to keep a trading account of farms under their control and to publish the statement of accounts.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsAs I stated in my reply to the Question put by the hon. Member for Evesham (Mr. De la Bère) on 4th February last, the war agricultural executive committees have been requested to prepare and submit annual accounts on an income and expenditure basis covering all their activities, including fanning operations, as from 1st April last. The questions of publishing these accounts and whether it will be practicable to require the preparation of trading accounts after the current financial year are under consideration.
§ 86. Mr. Osborneasked the Minister of Agriculture how many persons are now employed by agricultural executive committees in Great Britain; the annual charge for salaries, travelling and other expenses; how much floor space is occupied; and what is the annual cost of rent and rates.
§ Mr. Tom WilliamsThe number of staff is approximately 10,000 and their salaries and travelling and other expenses are estimated at £2,650,000 and £650,000116W respectively in the current financial year. The committees occupy approximately 798,800 sq. ft., and the annual cost in rent and rates is estimated at £61,625. These figures relate to England and Wales: for information about committees in Scotland a Question should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.