§ CAPTAIN ARTHUR MURRAY (Kincardineshire)To ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the Channel Fleet, or any portion of it, is shortly to enter the Moray Firth for manœuvring purposes; whether the fleet, or any portion, of it, has ever manœuvred in the Moray Firth during the herring fishery season; whether he is aware that a very large number of the East Coast fishing boats are now fishing in the Firth; and whether, in view of the possible disturbance of fishing operations, and the damage that may ensue to boats and gear should manœuvres take place inside the Firth, he will issue instructions to the effect that no manœuvres of the Fleet shall take place except outside the area of the Firth.
(Answered by Mr. McKenna.) This Moray Firth, in common with most of the North Sea, is included in the area within which the fleet exercises will shortly take place. The movements of the vessels engaged are at the discretion of the respective commanders-in-chief, and it is impracticable without inconvenient restrictions upon the exercises and training of His Majesty's ships to exclude fishing grounds altogether from the area over which such operations take place. With a view to avoiding damage, the commanders-in-chief are kept informed so far as practicable of the movements of the fishing vessels within the manœuvre area. Exercises were carried out there last July by the Channel Fleet.