asked the Minister for Agriculture the average time now being given to issue Land Commission subdivision consents; if it is correct that delays are now greater than in the past and the steps, if any, being taken to remedy the situation.

I am informed that in straight-forward cases consent to subdivision normally issues in one to three weeks but more complex cases involving correspondence with the applicants or local investigation necessarily take longer. The operations of the branch concerned are currently being reviewed with a view to seeing whether clearance of applications can be expedited. Under a general consent procedure introduced over a year ago, application to the Land Commission for individual consent is, in fact, no longer necessary in cases involving areas not exceeding one acre.

21.