asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current assessment of the total extent of urban land in the United Kingdom; and what proportion this represents of the total acreage.

The acreage of land in urban use in the United Kingdom in 1976 was estimated by the Economic Development Council for Agriculture to be 4·6 million acres. ("Agriculture with the 1980's—land use", published by NEDO). This represented 7·7 per cent. of the total land area of the United Kingdom. No later figures are available.