§ Mr. MacCormickasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many new crofts have been created (a) in Argyll and (b) in Scotland since 1945; and how many crofts have been amalgamated in Argyll and in Scotland over the same period.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownThe number of new crofts which have been created since 1945 in (a) Argyll is 24 and (b) in Scotland—the seven crofting counties—461.
No reliable statistics are available of the number of landholders' units amalgamated during the period from 1945 to the passing of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1955. Since then 215 crofts in Argyll have been removed from the Register of Crofts on account of amalgamations, the Scottish total being 1,878.
§ Mr. MacCormickasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many tenant farms (a) in Argyll and (b) in Scotland have been repossessed by the owners on the tenancies becoming vacant since 1945.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownI have no records which show this information.
§ Mr. MacCormickasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many landholdings and estates (a) in Argyll and (b) in Scotland were taken over by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries during the last war because of bad husbandry; and how many of them have subsequently been returned to their former occupant.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownDuring the last war powers to take possession of land or terminate the tenancy of land were delegated to local agricultural executive committees. I understand that in Scotland, by 1944, possession had been taken of some 79 arable and mixed farms—20,000 acres—five sheep farms—49,000 acres—and eight deer forests—170,000 acres—but I have no details about these properties or information about their disposal; nor does the information available to me indicate how many were in Argyll.