§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the Lord Advocate if he will state on what terms the mussel beds in the Clyde estuary off Port Glasgow have been leased to the Fishery Board by the Board of Trade; has any portion of the beds been sub-let; if so, to whom, and on what terms; and can it be stated what quantity of mussels have been taken from the beds since they came into the hands of the Fishery Board?
MR. GRAHAM MURRAYI am informed by the Fishery Board that the whole area leased by them has been sublet to Dr. J. H. Fullarton for a term of 21 years from Candlemas, 1897, for a yearly rent of £1, with strict conditions as to culture, size of mussels to be sold, and prices to be charged to fishermen. A statement of the quantity of mussels taken since the date of the lease, as compared with previous statistics, would, I fear, be misleading, but if the honourable Member particularly desires to have it, he can obtain it at the Scottish Office.