§ Mr. Peter Blakerasked the Minister of Agricuture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the extent to which improvement grants, available under the Horticulture Acts, are being taken up; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Hoy:The response continues to be encouraging. Since the present Horticulture Improvement Scheme came into force in July 1966 applications for grant have averaged over 700 per month, as compared with 426 per month for the previous Scheme of 1964. The estimated cost 286W of proposals approved in the past year has been over £10½ million of which the Government will find one-third by way of grant under the scheme and a further 5 per cent by way of investment grant under the Agriculture Act, 1967.
The glasshouse sector has accounted for over 60 per cent. of the expenditure approved during the past year. There is great need for new investment in this sector; it is very satisfactory that owners of glasshouse businesses are taking the opportunity to modernise and re-equip them with the aid of these grants.