§ Mrs. Winifred Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will take steps designed to ensure that the Scottish herring fleet be given an allocation of 80 per cent. of the United Kingdom's herring catch quota for 1975 for the Scottish West coast;
(2) if he will take steps designed to ensure that no new licences be granted to fishing vessels for herring fishing off the Scottish West Coast.
§ Mr. William RossThere is at present no licensing system for West coast herring. If it is agreed in the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission that quotas for 1975 should be introduced then all sectors of the United Kingdom fishing industry will be consulted about the nature of the licensing system required for the administration of the United Kingdom quota.
§ Mrs. Winifred Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the Scottish Herring Producers Association Limited on the herring fishing quotas for 337W the Scottish West Coast; and what reply has he made.
§ Mr. William RossThe association wrote to my Department on 19th July conveying their views on the allocation of a quota for Scottish west coast herring. In its reply on 29th July the Department said that if agreement were reached in the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission to introduce quotas for west coast herring for 1975, as proposed by the United Kingdom with the aim of conserving this stock, there would be full consultation with all sectors of the United Kingdom herring industry about the method of operating the United Kingdom quota.