asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farmers in Staffordshire have applied for help under the Small Farmer Scheme; how many applications have been rejected; and what are the most common reasons for such rejections.

Up to 31st January, 1964, 944 Staffordshire farmers had applied for assistance under the Small Farmer Scheme and 125 applications had been rejected, mostly because the annual labour requirements of the farm businesses were found to exceed the standard man days limits prescribed in the Schemes.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this Question is prompted by an earlier reply which appeared to indicate that this Scheme was being put forward as a safeguard for small milk producers, the numbers of whom have been substantially reduced in Staffordshire? Is he satisfied that the scheme is being offered in a flexible enough form to take care of the sort of case in which a farmer may farm two widely separated farms one of which might by itself come within the provisions of the Scheme but does not do so because it is amalgamated with another farm?

In reply to the latter part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question, if a farmer has more than one holding his acreage may well exceed the amount laid down as the statutory limit for the Small Farmer Scheme. As regards the first part of the hon. Gentleman's question, I think that many small milk producers have benefited under the scheme, as indeed has the industry in general, and this will be reflected throughout the whole country.

Will the Minister take it that we shall look forward to the details of the Annual Price Review to see whether the Government really are seized of the fact that the small milk producer has to be protected, as he is not at present?