§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many farm holdings in(a) Scotland and (b) East Lothian, are in the less-favoured area and the non-less-favoured area respectively; and how many holdings include land in both the less-favoured area and non-less-favoured area;
(2) what is the total area of agricultural land in (a) Scotland and (b) East Lothian inside or outside the less-favoured area, respectively.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 27 October 1993]: The information requested as it relates to total agricultural areas is currently available only from the agricultural census. The table gives the figures as recorded at the 1992 census:
Less favoured area Non-less favoured area Scotland —holdings 23,326 8,251 —agricultural area (hectares) 5,200,279 684,266 East Lothian —holdings 47 374 —agricultural area (hectares) 18,819 37,610 The less-favoured area/non-less-favoured area classification is that used for statistical rather than subsidy purposes. On the statistical basis, farms are classified as either within or outside the less-favoured area boundary; no information is, therefore, available from the census on the number of holdings with land in both the less-favoured area and the non-less-favoured area.