§ MR. SUTHERLAND (Elgin Burghs)I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether he can state the number of vessels under a foreign flag that have been reported from the beginning of July, 1907, up to the end of January of this year for trawling in the Moray Firth; how many prosecutions have taken place, and how many convictions have been obtained for the period referred to; and the number of prosecutions now pending.
§ MR. SINCLAIRNineteen different vessels were reported during the period mentioned on seventy-five different occasions. In one of these cases so far has a prosecution been instituted and a conviction 1038 obtained, but no prosecutions are pending. Forty-six prosecutions took place early in July for offences committed prior to the beginning of that month, and twenty-nine convictions were obtained, twenty-three of which were for offences committed in the Moray Firth.
§ MR. WATT (Glasgow Gollege)Does the dictum of the Lord Chancellor override the unanimous dictum of the Judges of the Court of Session in dealing with this matter?
§ MR. SINCLAIRI am not aware to what dictum my hon. friend refers.