asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what talks he has had with fishing companies which find themselves in difficulties over the possibility of his Department chartering vessels for exploratory operations to assess the viability of fishing new grounds and new species.

This possibility has not been raised in discussions between fishing vessels owners and my Department about opportunities for exploiting unfamiliar fishing grounds and species of fish. However, my Department continues to conduct research with its own vessels, including the "G. A. Reay".