§ Mr. Kitsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give details of the research work which is being done to discover the cause of Irish Fish Disease at present affecting 357W stocks of fish in the Lancashire and Cumberland areas.
§ Mr. John MackieResearch is being carried out by Government Departments and other bodies in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It includes studies of the behaviour of fish affected by the disease, bacteriological examination of diseased fish to ascertain the precise nature of the causative organisms, transmission experiments involving diseased and healthy fish in tanks to facilitate study of the disease in its various stages and of possible means of controlling it, and tests of the extent to which the disease can be carried on fishing tackle. There is full collaboration with the scientists carrying on parallel research in the Irish Republic.
§ Mr. Kitsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what funds the Government are providing to finance the research into Irish Fish Disease.
§ Mr. John MackieDetailed figures of the expenditure on staff salaries or equipment relating to this particular item of research cannot readily be isolated from the other expenditures of the laboratories concerned. Estimates for the next financial year include provision for plans which are in hand to step up the scale of the research into the nature and cause of the disease.