§ Mr. THOMAS O'DONNELLasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he is aware that fish merchants in Dingle, county Kerry, after repeated requests for assistance to public boards in Ireland, have established a scheme of supplying fish, fresh and cured, of various kinds, neatly packed in cases from five pounds upwards, to various parts of Ireland and Great Britain; and whether inquiries will be made and assistance given to make this scheme a success?
The VICE-PRESIDENT of the DEPARTMENT of AGRICULTURE (Ireland) (Mr. T. W. Russell)The Department are aware that one fish merchant in Dingle is, with financial assistance from the Congested Districts Board, making experiments with a view to the sale of cured mackerel in the home markets. The merchant referred to has not yet reported on the experiments. The Department are unable to give a guarantee of assistance to this scheme at the present stage, but the matter will be considered when the results of the experiments are known.
§ Mr. O'DONNELLSeeing that foreign markets are almost closed to the Irish fisheries owing to the extraordinarily high tariffs, will the Department of Agriculture give special attention to this new experiment?
§ Mr. T. W. RUSSELLWe will consider it whenever the results are known.