asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what amount of land in Scotland has gone out of agricultural use for development in each of the last five years.

The amounts of agricultural land taken for urban and industrial development for the individual years from June 1967 to June 1972 were respectively 5,250, 6,108, 4,280, 3,827 and 3,447 acres.

Does not this considerable loss of agricultural land show that there is a need to stimulate land reclamation in Scotland?

Indeed it does. I think that the Government, in their policies on reclaiming derelict land in particular, have demonstrated their realisation of this need.