§ 67. Colonel BURNasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will favourably consider the appeal of the National Sea Fisheries Protection Association to permit fishing in areas which are at present closed, due regard being given to naval and military necessities; and will he sanction the return to each port of as many vessels as possible of ten to twelve years of age, the trawlers left in the trade being insufficient to fish even the present, limited grounds?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the ADMIRALTY (Dr. Macnamara)I can assure my hon. and gallant Friend that, with the exception of a few cases in which the presence of fishing vessels would impede naval operations, the Admiralty restrictions on fishing are made with the sole object of securing the safety of the fishing vessels and their crews. Furthermore, it 255 has always been the policy of the Admiralty to remove or relax these restrictions whenever it is considered safe to do so. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply which I gave on the 5th February to my hon. Friend the Member for Perth, in connection with a similar question.