§ Mr. Hazellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what response there has been in the United Kingdom to the extended Horticulture Improvement Scheme which came into effect in July, 1966.
§ Mr. PeartThe response has been excellent. Applications for grant have increased by over 60 per cent. from an average of 426 per month under the 1964 Scheme to nearly 700 under the new one. The estimated cost of proposals approved in the past year has been over £8½ million which compares with some £19 million of approved work in the previous six years under the 1960 and 1964 Schemes. Well over half of the approved expenditure in the past year relates to the modernisation of the glasshouse industry where there is great need for new investment. I am most encouraged at the way in which growers are taking advantage of this opportunity to improve their businesses.