§ 51. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Lord Privy Seal if he is aware that the extension of their territorial fishing limits by North European maritime nations has forced concentrations of British trawlers on nearer British fishing grounds and that this has presented British fishermen with problems of scarcity of fish; and what steps he has taken and proposes to take to reach agreement with those North European maritime nations to solve these problems.
§ Mr. GodberI am aware that there has been same diversion of fishing effort from the Faroes to nearer fishing grounds, but this has been due to a general scarcity of fish at the Faroes rather than to extended fishery limits.
We already have agreements with the Northern European states off whose coasts most British vessels fish, in terms at least as favourable as those enjoyed by any third State.