Earl of Dalkeithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the present number of farm holdings in Scotland of more than 50 acres that are leased to farm tenants, and of the number of cases where the sitting tenant did not enter voluntarily into a legal contract with the owner at the commencement of the tenancy, on the understanding that the lease would automatically expire following his death with occupation reverting to the owner unless provision to the contrary were contractually agreed in advance.
§ Mr. RossAccording to information available to my Department, there were approximately 12,000 farms of 50 acres or over in Scotland leased to farm tenants at June, 1967. I have no information as to contracts entered into between landlords and tenants; these are private matters between the parties.
Earl of Dalkeithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many complaints he has received concerning cases 400W during the past 10 years in Scotland of the sons of tenant farmers of holdings of more than 50 acres having been denied on unreasonable grounds the opportunity of inheriting the occupancy of the holdings following the death of their fathers; what investigations were made by his Department into these complains; and in how many cases they were found to be justifiable.
§ Mr. RossI have had representations from the National Farmers Union of Scotland from time to time that sons of tenant farmers were being denied the opportunity of inheriting the holding: two cases have recently been drawn to my attention. I have, however, no locus to investigate such cases where a landlord is acting in accordance with his statutory rights under Section 6(3) of the Agriculture Act, 1958, and where the notice cannot be contested by the tenant.
Earl of Dalkeithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases have been made known to him where landowners in Scotland have unreasonably withheld consent to formal applications from farm tenants to improve the fixed equipment of their holdings as a tenant's improvement.
§ Mr. RossNo representations have been made to me. I understand that the Scottish Land Court has dealt with two cases since 1958 in which tenants have applied, under Section 52 of the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act, 1949, for approval of the carrying out of proposed improvements.