§ Mr. Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan)I rise to present a petition on behalf of Fraserburgh harbour traders—fortuitously in the presence of the Minister with responsibility for fisheries. This is one of a number of petitions that have been collected around the coast of Scotland. It represents the seething anger in the fishing communities about the imposition of the eight-day tie-up scheme.
The Fraserburgh harbour traders express their concern about the penalties and the severe economic dislocation that will be caused by the Government's unwillingness to allow short trips back from one port to another to be exempt from the scheme.
The petition reads:
'Wherefore your petitioners pray that your honourable House take immediate steps to amend the legislation to allow vessels to return from their landing port to their home port without incurring any additional tie-up time over and above the eight-day period commencing with the date nominated by the vessel at the landing port. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.'It is signed by John Wallace, the chairman of the Fraserburgh harbour Commissioners, by George Masson, a partner in John S. Pirie and Co., and by 63 other traders representing all the trades in Fraserburgh harbour.
§ To lie upon the Table.