asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made by the White Fish Authority in classifying and defining the types of fish sold in the United Kingdom, with particular reference to rock salmon, catfish, dogfish, huss, Scotch hake, lemon sole, sole and dab.

A recommended list of names under which fresh and frozen fish should be sold by retail has now been prepared by the White Fish Authority in consultation with the local authority associations and the trade organisations. The Authority expect to publish the list early next month and will issue it to the trade as a code of practice.

Whilst thanking the Joint Parliamentary Secretary for that information, may I ask if he does not think it unnecessarily confusing that rock salmon, dogfish, catfish and huss are the same thing? Whatever the name, does he not think it worth pointing out that this fish comes from the shark family?

I agree that we do not want to be confused by a lot of names. My advice is that dogfish and catfish are quite different commodities, but some of the other names, I agree, are simply different names for the same fish.