asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, how much (a) agricultural land and (b) woodland has been lost as a result of motorway construction in each of the years 1960 to 1974, inclusive.

Following is the information:

Financial Year with Approximate Land Take in Acres by Motorway Construction
1960–1961	700
1961–1962	300
1962–1963	980
1963–1964	1,820
1964–1965	1,100
1965–1966	860
1966–1967	660
1967–1968	1,540
1968–1969	820
1969–1970	660
1970–1971	2,180
1971–1972	4,300
1972–1973	860
1973–1974	1,100

During the same period it is estimated that 8,400 acres were taken for the building of 34 motorway service areas. The acreage cannot readily be apportioned between one year and another.It is not possible to distinguish between agricultural land and woodland, or between rural and urban land, but much the greater part of land taken by motorways is rural land.