§ Mr. Nealeasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make finance available to assist the fishing industry to undertake exploratory voyages for under-exploited species of fish.
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§ Mr. Peter WalkerI am making available a maximum of £443,000 during the remainder of this financial year to finance voyages with the purpose of making an assessment of the commercial potential of currently under-utilised species, including horse mackerel, in the South-Western Approaches. A notice inviting tenders will appear in the press later this week. The information accruing from the voyages will be published in suitable form for the benefit of all sectors of the fishing industry.
The Ministry's provisions taken in the Supply Estimates for 1979–80 will cover the voyages. Expenditure will fall within the cash limits for the appropriate vote.