§ Mr. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the number of Scottish farms in total and by type, size and district which have been (a) sold to institutions and (b) sold and leased back by the previous owner during each of the last five years.
§ Mr. John MacKayI regret that I cannot provide the information in the detail, or for the period, which my hon. Friend requests. My Department has been monitoring acquisitions of agricultural land by financial institutions only since 1980, during which period there has been recorded a total of 55 purchases, involving 18,000 hectares. Approximately 89 per cent. of the total area covered by these purchases was subject to sale and leaseback arrangements.