asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to improve the fishery protection service.

The DAFS fleet shares the fishery protection task with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force and there is excellent co-operation between these three arms of the fishery protection service. My noble Friend the Minister of State recently visited Maritime HQ at Pitreavie and the RN Fishery Protection Squadron at Rosyth.I am satisfied that, within the current financial constraints, our fishery protection service is efficient and effective though I am always prepared to receive proposals about how it might be improved.