§ Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the new international fisheries order under which inspectors from 10 countries, including Great Britain, may stop and board each other's fishing vessels, indicating in how many and which cases this new right has been exercised in the case of British vessels, and the resulting effect on their freedom and rights to their traditional fishing grounds and to their regulations regarding size of net mesh and other technical fish catching utilities and amenities.
§ Mr. HoyThere have as yet been no reports of any British fishing vessel being inspected. The scheme does not impose any new regulations or restrictions on British fishermen, other than the obligation to allow an authorised foreign inspector to ascertain whether the internationally agreed conservation rules are being observed.