§ 55 and 56. Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will seek powers to set up a Scottish anglers' trust, to encompass brown trout, sea-trout, and salmon;
(2) if he will now take steps to set up area boards for salmon and trout fishing.
§ The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. William Ross)These are among the main recommendations made in the Report of the Hunter Committee, and I should prefer not to comment on individual recommendations until I have completed my consideration of the Report as a whole.
§ Mr. DalyellGranted the very real complexities that face my right hon. Friend, will he explain to the tens of thousands of Scottish anglers who are curious to know, why it has taken 3½ years to get a reaction to the Report? Why has the Scottish Office taken so long? There are probably good reasons, and the matter should be explained.
§ Mr. RossIn order to give rights to tens of thousands, one has to remove rights from millions. One does not do that readily and quickly. One must look into all the problems involved.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellBut as the Hunter Committee's Report has been in the hands of the right hon. Gentleman for over three years, will he now separate the difficult long-term decision concerning coastal netting and at least urgently get ahead with announcements concerning that part of the Report which could be helpful to the Scottish tourist industry?
§ Mr. RossNo, Sir. I would rather deal with the Report as a unit than take two or three recommendations piecemeal out of a great many.