§ Mr. MACLEAN by Private Noticeasked the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware that the annual Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland, which, hitherto, has been published as a Command Paper, has this year been transferred to His Majesty's Stationery Office, and that no copies are available at the Vote Office? Whether he can state the reasons for the change, and whether, in view of the inconvenience to which Members of the House are put by this new arrangement, he will issue instructions that Reports of this and other Scottish Departments are issued from the Vote Office?
§ Sir J. GILMOURI think there maybe some misapprehension about this matter. The volume which has been published as a Stationery Office publication is the volume of Sea Fishery Statistics for 1924. This has been published as a Stationery Office publication for each year since 1922 inclusive. The Fishery Board's annual Report will shortly be published as a Command Paper as hitherto. I regret that, owing to an unusually large amount of revision being required in the Report this year, it will not be available for a few days.
§ Mr. MACLEANI am glad to have had that explanation, but I would point out that the large number of Scottish Members have been making inquiries as to this Report. Could not the Secretary for Scotland have issued some interim report by which we might link up 1165 the work done by the Board last year with the work of previous years, in order to carry us through to-day's Debate?
§ Sir J. GILMOURI regret that the Report has not been published. I had hoped to have it in time, but as I have explained, it is owing to the great number of alterations found necessary that the publication has been delayed.