§ Mr. Welshasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report what figures he has to show the current level of hill cow numbers in Scotland and the changes which have taken place during the past year; and what steps he is taking to improve this situation.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownInformation about the number of hill cows in Scotland is obtained from applications for hill livestock compensatory allowances payments and is published in my Department's annual report. The figures for 1979 will not be available until this year's payments have been completed. There are indications that the decline which has occurred during the past three years is now levelling off; hill cow numbers in Scotland are still well above those of the early 1970s.