§ MR. ANDERSON (Elgin and Nairn)asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether the Government intend to reconstitute the Scotch Fishery Board by placing thereon some persons practically acquainted with the fishing industry; or whether, on the termination of the tenure of office of the existing Board, it is intended to re-appoint the existing members of the Board; and, when the Annual Report of the Scotch Fishery Board will be laid upon the Table of the House? The hon. Member also asked whether any changes were contemplated with regard to the scientific advisers of the Board?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. H. SMITH) (Strand, Westminster)I cannot answer the last Question without Notice. The question of the re-constitution of the Fishery Board is receiving the attention of the Government, and will be duly considered prior to October next, when the term of office of six members of the Board expires. It is hoped that the Annual Report of the Board will be laid upon the Table of the House about the end of May. The preparation of the Report, which will this year contain, besides the usual elaborate statistics of various fisheries, details of the experiments made in the waters closed against beam trawling, necessarily involves the expenditure of much time and labour.