asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority employees are involved with administering county council small-holdings; and what is the cost of such administration.

Information is not available to the Department about the number of local government employees engaged on the administration of small-holdings. Table 6 of the twenty-sixth Annual Report to Parliament on Smallholdings in England and Wales, a copy of which is available in the Library, contains information about the central and direct administration expenses of small-holding authorities in the year ending 31st March 1976.