§ Mr. Hendersonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what pro- 234W portion of the aid announced to the fishing industry he estimates will be payable in respect of vessels registered in Scotland.
§ Mr. William Ross :I have been asked to reply.
About one-third.
§ Mr. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland why no assistance is to be given to boats of 40 ft. and under in terms of Government assistance to the fishing industry.
§ Mr. William Ross:The Government's purpose in proposing this assistance is to avoid a radical contraction of the fishing fleet leading to permanent structural damage, and to give the industry time to make adjustments to a pattern of higher operating costs. These considerations do not apply to the same extent to vessels under 40 ft. in length.
§ Mr. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportions of aid to the fishing industry in Scotland will be payable to the different categories of boats.
§ Mr. William Ross:The amounts paid will depend upon the days at sea in the various size groups during the six months ending 30th June 1975. On the basis of numbers of vessels at December 1974 and of typical effort in days fishing my estimate is as follows:
Size of vessel Approximate number £ 135 feet and over 7 90,000 110 feet—134.9 feet 54 450,000 80 feet—109.9 feet 54 300,000 60 feet— 79.9 feet 420 850,000 50 feet— 59.9 feet 360 350,000 40 feet— 49.9 feet 300 150,000 2,190,000