§ Mr. S. HERBERTasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is prepared to set up a Committee to examine into the financial position of the British trawling industry, with a view to granting credits en easy terms to British trawling companies, in order to enable them to tide over the present period of depression?
§ Mr. BUXTONI have received no request to institute such an inquiry from the Association of British Fisheries or any other association representative of the trawling industry as a whole. I do not think that an inquiry of the character proposed would add materially to the information already at my disposal regarding the financial position of the industry, and I should be unwilling to take a step which might appear to suggest that I was prepared in any circumstances to propose that it should be subsidised by the Exchequer. I would add that I am advised that conditions in the fishing industry, though still difficult, show distinct signs of improvement.