§ 7. Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Scotland for what reasons he has not issued a Green Paper or a White Paper on the Hunter Committee on Fishing.
§ Mr. BuchanI would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given him on 12th March, 1969, to which I cannot add.—[Vol. 779, c. 293.]
§ Mr. DalyellIf four months is, as I believe it is, the correct time to progress chase the complexities of the Wheatley Report, do we have to wait four years for the complexities of the Hunter Report? If it is that bad a report, would it not be better to say so?
§ Mr. BuchanIt does not necessarily follow from that that it is either good or bad. There are many complications and complex issues. A great and continuing variety of points are being made about this matter and we want to come up with the right answer.
§ Mr. David SteelRegardless of the value of the Report, is the Minister aware that there is a great impatience in areas such as the Borders, where there are fishing interests, that this matter still remains unresolved? When will the Government make a decision about this?
§ Mr. BuchanTo use the words of a former member of the hon. Member's party, we must wait and see. I am, however, aware that there is a good deal of restlessness about this. The task is to make sure that we come up with the right kind of radical proposals to open up our rivers and lochs properly for the average fisherman in Scotland. That is what I want to do.
§ Mr. StodartDoes the hon. Gentleman recollect that his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said that this matter was receiving urgent consideraton three years ago? How long will he be able to endure the urgency of the strain?
§ Mr. BuchanIf I remember rightly, I capped that last time by agreeing that it was extremely urgent.
§ 18. Mr. Monroasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received regarding the Government's continuing delay in implementing the Hunter Report; and how much longer he expects the process of consultation to take before legislation can be introduced.
§ Mr. BuchanApart from representations from hon. Members, my right hon. Friend has received a number of inquiries and representations from angling clubs and associations and other individuals interested in freshwater fisheries; not all of these wish the report to be implemented as it stands. I do not consider that the time we are taking to get the right answers on this complex and controversial matter is excessive but I cannot forecast when it will be possible to legislate as a result of the Hunter Report.
§ Mr. MonroIs the hon. Gentleman aware that this is a classic example of "instant" and "dynamic" government? After a report published in 1965 he is not yet in a position to bring legislation before the House.
§ Mr. BuchanI must say that when I took office I made my way with difficulty through the corridors of St. Andrew's House because of the various reports and preparations littering them and left by the party opposite.