§ 58. Captain REDMONDasked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the loss which is being inflicted on the Irish fishing trade by the neglect and carelessness of the railways and carriers in the transit of fresh fish to the English market; whether he is aware that a consignment of fresh herrings sent by a Mr. P. Fitzgerald, of Cleggan, in Ireland, to Leicester, despatched on 21 st February, did not arrive till the evening of the 25th, and were unsaleable, and were seized and destroyed; whether when a claim is lodged for compensation for such destruction the railway authorities contend they are not responsible for loss of market or any delay in transit; and whether, as the action of the railway authorities threatens to destroy the fishing industry of Ireland, as, owing to the price of nets and gear and the carriage freights, the industry is a struggling one, he will take steps to protect the Irish fishing traders by remedying without delay the state of affairs complained of?
§ Mr. NEALAccording to the information in the hands of the Ministry, it is considered that the facilities available for fish traffic from Ireland are reasonably adequate. It will be realised that, even under normal conditions, isolated cases of delay may occur; but with regard to the particular instance mentioned, if the hon. and gallant Member will be good enough to furnish me with particulars of the sending stations and route by which the consignment was despatched, I shall be pleased to cause enquiries to be made. As to the question of claims, if a trader considers he has a right to recover 904 damages under his contract with the railway company, the ordinary legal methods of testing the question are available to him.