§ Sir David Rentonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a further statement on the amount of arable farmland that has gone out of production for urban and other development in each of the last three years in England and Wales.
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§ Mr. StrangI regret that two incorrect figures were included in the reply which I gave to the right hon. and learned Member on 20th November 1974 and I am grateful for this opportunity to provide a correction.
The precise information requested by the right hon. and learned Member is not available, but the following are estimates of losses of agricultural land in England and Wales for development of all kinds, excluding afforestation:
5-year Period Net Annual Loss (acres) 1966–67 to 1970–71 49,800 1967–68 to 1971–72 62,100 1968–69 to 1972–73 66,800