HC Deb 04 July 1979 vol 969 cc1348-50
4. Mr. Sproat

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he plans next to meet representatives of the fishing industry.

Mr. Younger

I met representatives of the United Kingdom fishing industry both at home and in Luxembourg at the time of the Council of Fisheries Ministers on Monday 25 June 1979. I am arranging meetings at an early date with representatives of the industry in Scotland.

Mr. Sproat

When my right hon. Friend meets those representatives, will he, in the light of the tragic loss of the "Carinthia" last week and the 22 fishermen from the North-East who have died at sea in the last 12 months, seek to persuade them, in conjunction with his right hon. Friend at the Department of Trade, to make far more use of the new radio open line for reporting in? Can he tell the House what consideration he is giving to compulsory survival training for fishermen?

Mr. Younger

I agree with my hon. Friend that the number of tragedies in the fishing industry should cause us great concern. I shall be discussing these matters with representatives of the fishing industry at the earliest possible opportunity.

Mr. Grimond

What will the Secretary of State be able to say about herring when he next meets the fishermen? Does he agree that there is evidence of an increase in the number of herring in the North Sea? Can he say what he is currently telling fishermen about whiting quotas?

Mr. Younger

We are convinced that it is necessary to continue the herring fishing prohibitions in 1979, because we must allow for the recovery of depleted stocks. Naturally we regret the hardship which closures of this kind can cause, both to catchers and processors, but we cannot ignore the compelling scientific evidence that demonstrates the need for continued protection of herring in our waters. As for whiting, that is a matter we shall also discuss with the industry.

Mr. Donald Stewart

Will the right hon. Gentleman, in conjunction with his right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, be prepared to give a sympathetic reply to the request from the Western Isles fleet for a fixed quota of herring caught by drift net for the local market on the lines of a similar dispensation given to the Dutch?

Mr. Younger

This is a wider question, but I shall consider that suggestion before meeting representatives of the industry.

Mr. Henderson

In his discussions with the fishing industry, will my right hon. Friend include talks with the Fife Shell Fishermen's Association about the disastrous state of the crab market which has resulted in hundreds of boxes of crab bodies being thown overboard each week? Will he take steps to prevent the dumping on the market of cooked crab meat from outside the EEC?

Mr. Younger

This problem is causing great concern in some quarters of the fishing industry. I cannot say that we have a reasonable and readily identifiable solution to it, but it is a matter that we shall discuss.

Mr. Robert Hughes

When will the right hon. Gentleman be able to announce a decision about funding for the development of the fish market in Aberdeen? Is he aware that there is concern in the city following the meeting of his right hon. Friend Lord Mansfield with the Aberdeen harbour board, when he gave its members a very dismal view of the funding that might be provided by his Department?

Mr. Younger

I do not know about the last part of that question, but the case which was put by the Aberdeen owners for consideration for parity with the English ports is very much under consideration by my Department.