§ Mr. Peytonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list in the Official Report the number of reported sales of tenanted land, and the average price achieved for each year from 1970 to 1978, inclusive.
§ Mr. John SilkinThe information requested is as follows:
SALES OF TENANTED LAND IN ENGLAND 12 months ended September Number of transactions Average price £ per hectare 1970 250 379 1971 347 372 1972 307 432 1973 320 1,050 1974 296 1,355 1975 203 961 1976 343 797 1977 511 1,019 1978 459 1,563 Note: Figures are collected by the Board of Inland Revenue and published by MAFF covering all sales of agricultural land of 4 hectares and over, excluding sales for non-agricultural purposes and gifts but including inter-family sales and sales when the vendor retains certain rights over the land—for example, sporting rights. There is a delay between the date on which a sale is agreed and the date on which it is notified to the Inland Revenue and included in the series. This time-lag is thought to average between six and nine months. This means that the information for 12-monthly periods ending 30 September reflect, very approximately, the position for land sold in the preceding calendar year.