Scotland Act 1998 (River Tweed) Order 2006

My Lords, it falls to my lot to congratulate the noble and learned Lord the Advocate General on his maiden speech. We are very glad to have heard from him on these matters. We look forward to seeing him in his place many times in the future. He certainly joins a most distinguished band of Scottish lawyers who have graced the Floor of the House; though at present their numbers are not as plentiful as they once were, so he is all the more welcome. He obviously brings a range of talents to the House, considering that he has degrees in economics, international business and law. As he is probably aware, there has been a great affinity between the law in your Lordships’ House and sheep. It has been a custom from the reign of Edward III to the present day that the Lord Chancellor should take his seat on the Woolsack filled with the finest wool available, so to my mind it is appropriate that he has chosen as an adjunct to his name in his title the splendid Angus glen of Glen Clova, which is the home of some of the finest wool-producing sheep of the blackface sheep breed, the Perthshire blackface. There is also something very appropriate about the fact that he has come to make his maiden speech on the Scotland Act 1998 (River Tweed) Order 2006, because as he is well aware the whole question of rivers and fishing can be one of the most contentious in Scottish law. In fact it is supposed to have been the topic that involved what I am told is the longest case in Scottish legal history—that of Hay v the magistrate of Perth—which was about rights of fishing on the River Tay. If this measure is ever challenged and has to be reconsidered, the noble and learned Lord will be available to keep the House on the right lines when it comes to the matters of fixed engines or fishing by net and coble. I gather that the progress of this measure has not been totally straightforward, as the original version was laid before both Houses in December 2004 but had to be immediately withdrawn due to technical errors. The fact that the noble and learned Lord the Advocate-General is the Minister proposing this measure tonight gives us all an added assurance that this time it is all in order. The River Tweed is a great asset to both Scotland and England. It is quite something to think that the catchment covers about 1,930 square miles, and the management has been carried out over the years with very much diligence. In 2004, more than 21,600 fish were caught in the Tweed fishery, of which 15,259 were caught by rod and line. When you think of what that means to the tourist industry in those areas, you get some idea of how important it is. We thank the noble and learned Lord for explaining the history of the Acts that have been incorporated into this measure, which has obviously had a long and complicated generation. The order is a great opportunity to show the strengths that exist in the union of the various parts of the United Kingdom, though it also must be a matter of pride for the Scots that the main structure of the Bill is the one that has been used by the Scottish Parliament embracing all the other rivers in Scotland; the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003. We are very glad to see this measure being brought through at this time.