§ 64. Mr. Harold Daviesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total number of farms in Leek Parliamentary Division, Stafford shire, the number of those now connected to electricity, and the total of grants made to these farmers to facilitate their connection to the nearest electricity supply.
§ Mr. HareThere are about 3,000 agricultural holdings of over 1 acre in the Leek Parliamentary Division according to the latest agricultural returns, though not all of these will be separate farm businesses. The second part of the hon. Member's Question is a matter for the Midlands Electricity Board which will, I am sure, be glad to provide the hon. Member with the information for which he has asked. As for grants, a total of £116 9s. 6d. has been paid to date under the Farm Improvement Scheme in respect of three farms in the Division, and £894 10s. 0d. under the Hill Farming and Livestock Rearing Acts in respect of another three farms.
As regards grants, I would point out to the hon. Member that my Ministry's system is organised on the basis of 32 county or multi-county divisions and that to produce information on any other basis costs a good deal of time and money.