§ Mr. John MacLeodasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what quantity of herring has been landed at Ross-shire mainland ports, including Inverness, from 1st October, 1955, to the latest available date; and what is the value of the catch.
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§ Mr. J. StuartThe following are the figures requested for the period from 1st October, 1955, to 18th February, 1956.
— Quantity Value (crans) £ Ullapool 10,937 33,555 Gairloch 29,448 99,607 Kyle 939 2,652 Inverness 54,932 141,046 TOTAL 96,256 £276,860
§ Mr. John MacLeodasked the Secretary of State for Scotland by how much the price per cran paid by his Department to herring fishermen is reduced because of the high cost of road transport of surplus herring.
§ Mr. J. StuartAt present, the same prices are paid for surplus herrings at all ports irrespective of the cost of transport to the nearest factory.
The Herring Industry Board propose that, from the 1st April, the price to be paid for herring of standard quality purchased for conversion to oil and meal should be 42s. per cran at Category A ports, 35s. at Category B ports and 28s. at Category C ports. In general, Category A includes only ports where there is an oil and meal factory: and Categories B and C, ports at which there is no factory, and transport costs are consequently heaviest.
These proposals have been accepted in principle by the fishermen's associations and I am considering with my right hon. Friends the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for the Home Department certain detailed suggestions which the associations have made.
§ Mr. John MacLeodasked the Secretary of State for Scotland the annual cost to his Department of the transport by road of herring from Ross-shire mainland ports to fish-meal factories at Wick, Fraserburgh, and Peterhead.
§ Mr. J. StuartIn 1955 the Herring Industry Board incurred expenditure of approximately £22,600 in transporting surplus herring from Ullapool, Gairloch and Kyle to the factories mentioned. This is part of the operating costs of the oil and meal scheme, only the net loss on which is met by the Department.