§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from organisations and individuals concerned about the environmental damage caused by inshore coastal fish farms; if he will list those who have made representations; and if he will make a statement. [56307]
§ Mr. MacdonaldRepresentations are received from time to time. It would not be appropriate to list those concerned without their permission but they include individuals and organisations, including representatives of anglers.
The Government have made it clear that a sustainable aquaculture industry must have regard to environmental as well as social and economic considerations. To that end, the Government welcome the sea lice strategy which the industry is putting in place and endorse the guidance on environmental assessment sponsored jointly by the industry and the Crown Estate.
For their part, the Government have made clear their intention to increase the role of local authorities in the planning process for aquaculture developments and have recently released for public consultation "Interim Scheme 76W for the Licensing of Marine Fish Farms in Scottish Waters—Policy Guidance Note and Advice Note: Marine Fish Farming and the Environment".
§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total public subsidy paid to the fish farming industry in each year for the period 1992 to 1999. [56306]
§ Mr. MacdonaldPublic subsidy amounting to £15.9 million was paid to the fish farming industry in Scotland over the period 1992 to 1998. The breakdown for each financial year is as follows:
Year £ million 1992–93 3.28 1993–94 2.71 1994–95 2.06 1995–96 2.62 1996–97 3.53 1997–98 1.73 Figures for 1998–99 are not yet available.
§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the number of jobs sustained through inshore coastal fish farming in Scotland in each of the years 1992 to 1998(a) directly and (b) indirectly; and if he will make a statement on the basis of these figures. [56305]
§ Mr. MacdonaldThe number of jobs directly sustained by coastal fish farming in Scotland in each of the years 1992 to 1997 is as follows:
Year Full-time Part-time Total 1992 985 275 1,260 1993 976 248 1,224 1994 1,050 248 1,298 1995 1,104 251 1,355 1996 1,150 241 1,391 1997 1,088 207 1,295 This information is based on figures provided by the companies concerned. Information for 1998 will be published by the Scottish Office in the Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey for 1998 during the first day half of 1999. Figures for indirect employment are not available for the time series requested; however, our most recent estimates indicate that the industry supports around 6,500 jobs both indirectly and in terms of up and downstream activities. This represents an important contribution to the Scottish economy and remote rural areas in particular where most of the employment arises.