§ Mr. Cleggasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many reports he has received of the illegal cutting of warps of British trawlers off Iceland by Icelandic gunboats;
(2) if he will publish the estimate of the damage to British trawlers and their gear caused by the illegal action of Icelandic gunboats to the latest date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. BishopThere have been 42 incidents of warp cuttings, including one 651W occasion when a trawler was forced to cut away a warp in which a gunboat's cutter had become entangled. The total cost of lost fishing gear is now estimated at about £100,000. Only three British trawlers are reported to have been involved in collisions but the total cost of any damage is not known.