Mr. John David Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his up-to-date assessment of the state of the scallop fishing industry in Northern Ireland; and if he is still satisfied that it is under no threat from fishing boats based outside Northern Ireland.
§ Dr. BoysonA small number of Northern Ireland fishing vessels devote most of their fishing effort to scallops with additionally some smaller boats fishing on a seasonal and localised basis. Fishing on the scallop beds adjacent to the Northern Ireland coast has been monitored closely since the closure on 1 June of beds elsewhere in the north Irish Sea.