§ 4. Mr. Sproatasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the current situation in the fishing industry.
§ Mr. YoungerI am aware that the fishing industry faces many problems as a result of rising costs and the decline in many of the more important fish stocks. The current uncertainties in the industry can best be removed by a satisfactory settlement of the common fisheries policy and the Government are working urgently to that end.
§ Mr. SproatDoes my right hon. Friend accept that Aberdeen should be treated in the same way as Hull, Grimsby and Fleetwood, which last year were given £l.2 million? Will he confirm that those three ports have now put in for further aid and that it would be monstrous if they received two grants of aid and Aberdeen received none?
§ Mr. YoungerI shall certainly look into the matter. As my hon. Friend knows, the district council and the Aberdeen Fishing Vessel Owners Association have made a preliminary request for aid, and I understand that they are following that up with a memorandum. I assure my hon. Friend that I shall consider that memorandum most urgently when I receive it.
§ Mr. Robert HughesWhen did the right hon. Gentleman abandon the Government's policy that industries must sustain themselves without subsidy?
§ Mr. YoungerI am not certain what the hon. Gentleman is referring to, but the Government have abandoned no policies.
§ Mr. John MacKayDoes my right hon. Friend realise that fishermen on the Clyde have conserved their fish stocks, especially herring, very well over the years, and that any policy for the future must protect them against non-local fishermen, whether they be foreigners or fishermen from elsewhere in the United Kingdom?
§ Mr. YoungerMy hon. Friend will not be surprised to hear that I share his admiration for the way in which the Clyde fishermen have controlled a difficult situation over recent years. I assure him that any common fisheries policy will take into account their interests and those of other Scottish fishermen.