Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the production of ice at Portavogie harbour; how many reports he has received of fishing boats from Portavogie going to Ardglass harbour to get ice because of inadequate production; what plans there are to increase ice production at Portavogie harbour; and if he will make a statement. [48]
§ Mr. AncramOn 19 September 1996, the compressor on the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority's main ice plant at Portavogie broke down and had to be replaced. Only a small amount of ice was available for the Portavogie fleet during the rest of that week. Two Portavogie boats obtained ice from the authority's new plant at Ardglass, and the authority organised the delivery of ice from Ardglass to the other Portavogie boats. Ice production was back to normal on 25 September. The authority has commissioned the Sea Fish Industry Authority to undertake an in-depth assessment of the ice production and storage needs at Portavogie, and to advise on the various options by which these can best be met.