§ Mr. Priorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy on land drainage, in view of the shortage of tile drainage pipes; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HoyMy policy continues to be to encourage farmers to undertake schemes of field drainage where the resulting agricultural benefits justify the cost; I make a grant of 50 per cent. of the reasonable cost in approved cases.
I have had reports of shortages of field drainage tiles in Eastern Counties. It appears that these shortages have been primarily caused by a substantial increase in the amount of drainage undertaken during the recent favourable weather.
I have recently approved the use of a range of perforated plastic pipes as a substitute for clay tiles in most circumstances.