HC Deb 14 July 1944 vol 401 cc2090-2
The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. T. Johnston)

I beg to move, in page 2, line 10, after "equipment", to insert "or shares therein."

I am sure this Amendment will commend itself to all sections of the Committee. The Board is now empowered to produce a scheme for the purchasing of boats and equipment, and chartering those boats and that equipment to persons wishing to engage in the herring industry, and to sell such boats and equipment to persons to whom they have been chartered. But it has been represented to the Government that it would be highly desirable that, in addition to these powers of sale and equipment, the Board should be empowered to sell shares in the boat without being compelled to sell the entire boat and that if they were permitted to sell shares to individual share fishermen, they would obtain a stake in the boat and also an incentive to use the boat and the equipment well, which might be absent in some cases if they had no financial stake. There was general concurrence among the fishermen themselves and every interest whom we have been able to consult, that this would be a desirable Amendment and the Government, therefore, have pleasure in moving it.

Mr. Boothby (Aberdeen and Kincardine, Eastern)

May I say how much I welcome the Amendment? The share system is an integral and most important part of the herring fishing industry and this secures that the more important activities of the share system will be preserved as well as complete ownership.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendment made: In page 2, line 12, after "equipment", insert "or shares therein."—[Mr. Johnston.]

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Clause, as amended, stand part of the Bill."

Mr. Loftus (Lowestoft)

I intervene on the question of the general powers of the Board, to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he would draw the attention of the new Board to the excellent work done by the local port committees during former years under the old Board. They fulfil a very useful function, dealing quickly with matters requiring immediate decision, and in Yarmouth they have often met four and five times a day during the season.

Mr. Johnston

The point that the hon. Member makes is a good one. These committees fulfil very valuable functions indeed and, as far as I know, there is a general intention to maintain and develop them. The more co-operation we can get among all interested in the industry the better. That is the primary purpose of the Measure. On the Clause itself, may I say why the Government felt unable to accept recommendations and representations made to us, amongst others, by the hon. Members for East Aberdeen (Mr. Boothby) and Argyll (Major McCallum) on the Second Reading, as to the desirability of licensing inland wholesalers. We propose to license port wholesalers but no provision was made for the licensing of inland port wholesalers. We very carefully and anxiously examined the problem.

It is clear that on pure grounds of symmetry, it might be desirable to do so, but there are real substantial disadvantages in the proposal. For example, we already have control, to a certain extent at any rate, over inland wholesalers. We have power under the Act of 1935 to prosecute any inland wholesaler who contravenes any of the duly approved schemes and to obtain penalties up to £20 in fines besides confiscation of the fish. Before an inland wholesaler may contravene a scheme, he must do so in collusion with, say, a curer or a fisherman at the port, and we have power to suspend or revoke the licence of any curer or fisherman who is caught acting in such a way as to contravene the scheme. Therefore, while a wholesaler might break the rules and regulations once in this way, or rig the market once, he will only do it once. It is unwise to clutter up the Measure by additional powers and Regulations which would involve us in some difficulties in other directions.

Mr. R. J. Taylor (Morpeth)

Has any action ever 'been taken at any time against any inland wholesaler on these grounds?

Mr. Johnston

I could not say without notice. We want this thing to work and we believe that we now have powers in this and previous Measures which, if used, will suffice.

Mr. Boothby

As I raised this matter on the Second Reading, I should like to say that I am very well satisfied with the right hon. Gentleman's explanation.

Question, "That the Clause, as amended, stand part of the Bill," put, and agreed to.

Clause 3 ordered to stand part of the Bill.