asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the average number of cattle and sheep grazed on the lands of Glenetive, recently gifted to the State, during the past three years, the present stock capacity of these lands and the estimated capacity for the future; whether, during these years, any recommendation or direction was given by the local agricultural executive committee for the stocking of these lands; and whether he now proposes to entrust the stocking, direction, or management of these lands to officers of that committee?

Glenetive Forest has hitherto been used for the summer grazing of cattle and the wintering of hoggs, but I am not in a position to give any indication of numbers of stock as the agricultural returns made for individual subjects are confidential documents. In 1940 the Scottish Land Court was asked to make a survey of the potential stock carrying capacity of certain deer forests and a number of these forests, including Glenetive, are now being stocked. No direction for increased stocking of the Forest was given by the agricultural executive committee. I may remind the hon. Member that the forest has been gifted for the purpose primarily of demonstrating methods for the improvement of high lying pastures. The management of the lands is now in the hands of the Department of Agriculture.