§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY OF THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES (EARL DE LA WARR)My Lords, this is a very small Bill. It passed through another place without any disagreement. It is designed to give some small assistance to the inshore fishermen, a most hard-pressed portion of the fishing population. The position with regard to shell-fish at the present time is that a sanitary authority or a Ministry of Health inspector can close a bed subject to the mussels being adequately cleansed. But at present no authority is entitled to spend money on making provision for tanks for cleansing the mussels, and the inshore fishermen, being small men without any capital, are naturally not in a position to do so themselves. The capital required for setting up these tanks is about £3,000, and for the last fourteen years or so the Ministry of Agriculture has been doing experimental work, and for the last few years running 497 commercially a cleansing tank at Conway. It has been discovered that it can be done on a commercial basis. Therefore there is no question of any annual cost falling on the authorities that work the tanks. The Bill met with the approval and agreement of all Parties in another place, and I ask your Lordships also to give it your approval.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a.— (Earl De La Warr.)
§ On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.