§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the freehold sale price by English region of grade 1 agricultural land for the most recent year for which figures are available. [100579]
§ Ms QuinThe average prices of freehold sales of agricultural properties are shown in the following table.
Average price of Grade 1 agricultural land sold in 1998, by English region Government Office region £000 per hectare North East 1— North West 8.1 Yorkshire and Humberside 8.5 East Midlands 6.0 West Midlands 1— Eastern 7.0 South East 7.3 South West 7.1 England 6.9 1 Denotes insufficient sales to give an average price The average prices in most cases are based on a very low number of actual sales and hence are not a reliable indicator of regional differences. As details are reported up to three years after the sale date, these estimates are provisional.