§ Baroness EMMET of AMBERLEYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the tonnage and cost of imported farmed fish, whether shell or fin, and from which countries they are imported.
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, I regret that the information is not available. While the published Overseas Trade Statistics show the various types of fish imported, the figures do not separately distinguish farmed fish.
§ Baroness EMMET of AMBERLEYMy Lords, while thanking the Minister for that rather unsatisfactory reply, may I suggest to him that if the figures were studied they would be found to indicate that the cutting down of imported farmed fish would probably greatly help his right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in another place? Will he therefore give his mind to studying those figures?
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, I am afraid that I cannot give an undertaking to study non-existent figures. The point is that one cannot distinguish farmed fish from other fish when it arrives in this country.
§ Viscount THURSOMy Lords, can the noble Lord tell us, for instance, the tonnage of imported trout, because imported trout must be farmed and not wild caught?
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, I can give a figure for the total amount of imported trout. In the year 1974 there were 32,341 cwt.; but that is trout and not necessarily farmed trout.
§ Lord MAELORMy Lords, can the Minister tell me from what country we get herrings for the House of Commons canteen? Is he aware that on a recent evening, Members of Parliament and noble Lords having formed a Welsh 202 Society, we had what was called a dinner. The dinner consisted of thin soup—in which a herring could dwell, it was so thin—a herring and a simple sweet, for which I had to pay £5.04. I was bankrupt for the rest of the week.
§ Viscount THURSOMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that red herrings are a local product?
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, I thought my noble friend was referring to soused herrings.
§ The Earl of ONSLOWMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware—to return to the more serious point of the Question—that fish farming is a very useful method of converting protein into food and that it should be encouraged? Is he further aware that the conversion ration is now down to 1.5 lb. of food and below to 1 lb. of grain fish? This is something which should be encouraged by Her Majesty's Government; people should be encouraged to eat this food because it is a very beneficial source of protein.
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, I am interested in what the noble Earl says about the conversion ratio. If he will let me have the basis of evidence for what he says, I shall be very interested to look at it. But he should not, by implication at any rate, suggest that we are not encouraging fish farming; we are, and are spending something like £600,000 on research into the subject.
§ Baroness EMMET of AMBERLEYMy Lords, is the Minister aware that I have certain figures on the value of imported fish which I shall be very pleased to send him?
§ Lord BALERNOMy Lords, if the Government are supporting fish farming to the extent the noble Lord said, why will they not introduce legislation to remove the bureaucratic rules and regulations which are preventing the extension of fish fanning in this country?
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, I have no knowledge at all of any bureaucratic regulations, but if the noble Lord will tell me what he means I will have a look at it.