§ Mr. Hardyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has received the report on the Tavistock Institute's survey into tied houses in forestry; when he expects the Rent (Agriculture) Act to be extended to whole-time forestry workers; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. SilkinI have now received this report from the Forestry Commission, which will be publishing it in about a month. In the meantime, advance copies have been supplied to the principal organisations concerned and I am arranging for a copy to be sent to my hon. Friend and for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.
As a result of the Institute's detailed studies we now have a representative picture of forest workers' housing in the private as well as the public sector. In particular the report, which closely follows the lines of the Institute's corresponding survey on agricultural tied cottages, indicates the nature, extent and 665W present occupancy of housing provided by forest employers, and the overall stock of houses available within the industry. For example, the report shows that in England and Wales some 4,600 forestry houses are occupied by whole-time or retired forestry workers or their successors of which 3,400 are in private forestry and 1,200 are owned by the Forestry Commission.
In the light of this survey, and the views of the Forestry Commissioners, my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales and I have authorised the Commissioners to enter into consultations with forestry interests in England and Wales with a view to applying the provisions of the Rent (Agriculture) Act 1976 to whole-time workers in private forestry—including retired workers and their successors—from 1st October 1977, and my right hon. Friends are arranging consultations with the local authority associations. We shall be aiming to make the necessary Commencement Order before the summer recess. It is the Government's intention that eligible Forestry Commission workers in England and Wales should receive equivalent protection under extra-statutory arrangements similar to those already in operation for agricultural workers housed by Government Departments and other bodies exempt from the Rent (Agriculture) Act 1976.