Mr James Hoy: Yes, I did draw attention to the divergence of view that had been expressed on the benches opposite. Further bilateral meetings are likely to be held with the Irish Republic, Argentina and Uruguay, and conversations with them have already been held.
Mr James Hoy: I am sure the right hon. Gentleman will not expect me to reply to the first part of his supplementary question. It was a very good defence, and I will leave it at that.
Mr James Hoy: I thought that I was speaking up. All I am saying is that these discussions have been held with a considerable number of countries, and a few more have still to be held. It would be inadvisable to make proposals public until such time as conversations have been completed and perhaps until the multilateral meeting has taken place.
Mr James Hoy: I beg to move, That the White Fish Authority Publicity Scheme Confirmatory Order 1970, a draft of which was laid before this House on 5th February, be approved. Hon. Members who are interested in the fishing industry are well aware of the general background to this scheme; white fish consumption at just over 16 lbs. per head per annum is far from buoyant; in addition, there are fluctuations...
Mr James Hoy: I have never before heard a Minister accused of taking too little time to speak. That was a novel complaint: normally, it is that Ministers take too long. I cannot understand the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire, East (Mr. Wolrige-Gordon). He has such a selfish outlook—
Mr James Hoy: I wish that the hon. Member, who knows very little about this industry, would hold his tongue—
Mr James Hoy: No, I will not give way. I have listened patiently to every word in this debate and I am entitled to say why I thought that the hon. Gentleman took a selfish point of view. What he was saying was, "In my part of the world, we sell good fish and do not need any help. Why should we help other people?" That is no argument at all, and that is why I say that he has a selfish outlook. In any sector...
Mr James Hoy: That hon. Gentleman is now changing his ground. He argued earlier that, because his part of the country was doing so well, it should not be expected to contribute to the wellbeing of other areas. This is what he meant by a blanket contribution. The hon. Member for Haltemprice (Mr. Wall) put the case for and against very fairly. When he spoke about those in support of the scheme, he was...
Mr James Hoy: But I spent a considerable time with them. I could not agree with their point of view, but there is not a single representative who was at that meeting who would deny that they received a fair hearing and that they had ample time in which to put their point of view. I promised to take their point of view into consideration. My hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Dewar) referred...
Mr James Hoy: That therefore removes at least half the hon. Member's complaint.
Mr James Hoy: Although I speak tonight as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, I remind hon. Members that I am also the representative of a fishing constituency. For many years I have been concerned, both as Parliamentary Secretary and as the hon. Member for Leith, with the high cost of fishing in terms of men's lives. Thus, tonight I am doubly pleased to be playing a part in getting...
Mr James Hoy: No; until we get a complete record of all that has to be done it would be impossible to make a forecast of any kind. I have given the assurance that once the Board of Trade has dealt with this it will be extended to inshore fishermen. The Board's staff will need to consider all the factors affecting the safety of the smaller vessels before deciding what safety provisions would be...
Mr James Hoy: Short-term fluctuations in supply and demand resulting from changing weather conditions are an inescapable feature of the market for salad crops. Subject to this, growers can better meet the varying needs of the market and secure an improved return for their produce by co-operation in marketing. My right hon. Friend has no special examination of tomatoes and lettuces in hand; but developments...
Mr James Hoy: That does not arise on the Question asked by the hon. Member, but I can assure him that we go into this very carefully, and, as I have pointed out, we are discussing it with the unions as part of the examination of the horticultural industry. I am certain that the reports of these examinations always prove valuable.
Mr James Hoy: Yes, I would certainly hope so, and I am certain that co-operation has a part to play.
Mr James Hoy: We expect a significant increase, possibly of the order of 3 per cent. to 5 per cent.
Mr James Hoy: We are on course for the target at the moment. We expect an increase as a result of the past growth of the breeding herd and the low level of calf slaughterings since 1968. We also expect to have more Irish stores.
Mr James Hoy: Yes; we have studied this question, too. It is not that we are overconfident; even the Meat and Livestock Commission's estimate is between 3 per cent. and 4 per cent. There is no reason to think that extra production will cause low prices, but we are discussing the possibility of introducing arrangements to stabilise prices in the longer term.
Mr James Hoy: The so-called "free food" recorded in the National Food Survey is mainly the produce of gardens or other private land. The use of such land is a personal matter, but free produce represents a very small proportion of the value of food consumed by households in any group.
Mr James Hoy: The last part of the supplementary question has nothing to do with the Question on the Order Paper. I said that free food is a very small proportion, of total consumption 3 to 4 per cent. in the highest income group, and 2–2 per cent. in pensioner households. A great deal of this is food produced in gardens, allotments and elsewhere, and I do not think I could deny anyone the right to have...
