§ Mr. Wattasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is his estimate of the number of redundancies likely to be caused in the boat building yards of Scotland in the next 12 months should the White Fish Authority continue to refuse 451W the payment of grants to fishermen who wish to place orders for new vessels;
(2) what discussions he has had with the Boatbuilders Association over the refusal of the White Fish Authority to authorise the payment of grants to fishermen wishing to place orders for new vessels.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownMy right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and I met the Fishing Boatbuilders' Association on 22 March. The Association expressed anxiety about a possible standstill in grant approvals by the White Fish Authority. The Association has since submitted an assessment which shows that a small number of redundancies has occurred recently and forecasts further redundancies but does not offer any figures. This assessment is being examined urgently.
I understand that the authority has told applicants that, because of existing commitments, it is unable to approve any more vessels attracting payment of grant in 1979–80. The provision to the authority for making grants will not be settled until the House has considered the Estimates. The Government's policy remains to make a reasonable level of funds available for such grants, subject to the general constraints on public expenditure.