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Common Fisheries Policy
Mr. David Porter: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) when he expects his common fisheries policy review group to report to him; if he will publish their findings and submissions made to them in full; and if he will make a statement; [8402]
- (2) when he expects to publish the findings of the common fisheries policy review group and his response to them; and if he will make a statement. [8388]
Mr. Baldry: I expect the common fisheries policy review group to report in the spring. I will make public both its report and the Government's response to it. The submissions received by the group will also be made available.
Mr. Porter: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food with which part of the common fisheries policy relative stability and quota swaps conform; and what plans he has to balance them in the future negotiations with his EU counterparts; and if he will make a statement. [8405]
Mr. Baldry: The principle of relative stability is established under article 8(4) of the basic common fisheries policy regulation 3760/92. Quota swaps are permitted under article 9 of the same regulation. I have no plans to seek changes to either provision.
Mr. Porter: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what advice his Department has given to other Government Departments on fish stocks and fish management to assist them in talks on EU enlargement with (a) the Baltic states, (b) former eastern bloc states and (c) other aspirant EU members; and if he will make a statement; [8395]
- (2) what plans he has for the development of the United Kingdom fishing industry from 2002 onwards; and if he will make a statement; [8361]
(3) what assessment his Department has made as to how the common fisheries policy will have to be reformed to prepare for the accession of new member states to the EU; and if he will make a statement. [8379]
Mr. Baldry: The Ministry has advised on the importance of maintaining existing UK fishing opportunities in enlargement negotiations. Changes need to be made to the common fisheries policy whether or not the Community is enlarged. I shall continue to discuss
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with the industry what changes they would like to see in the period leading up to and at the review of the CFP in 2002.
Mr. Porter: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the changes in the number of jobs in the fishing industry for each United Kingdom port for each year since the common fisheries policy began; and if he will make a statement. [8362]
Mr. Baldry: Such information as is available about the number of fishermen in UK ports over the period in question is published in tables 2.6 and 2.7 of "United Kingdom Sea Fisheries Statistics 1994" which is available in the Library. Information about jobs indirectly related to sea fishing is not available.
Mr. Porter: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will commission a study into the benefits accruing to United Kingdom fishermen from Britain's participation in the common fisheries policy and what losses they have incurred by having United Kingdom fishing waters declared a common European resource; and if he will make a statement. [8364]
Mr. Baldry: The benefits to United Kingdom fishermen resulting from our participation in the common fisheries policy include: tighter restrictions than applied before we joined the Community in access by foreign vessels within our 12-mile fishery limits; a larger share of fish quotas in Community waters than was justified by our historic catch record in the 1973 to 1978 reference period used when quota shares were decided; fishing opportunities in the waters of non-member states secured through the Community's bilateral agreements with those countries; access to European Community grant schemes; a common policy on conservation rules enabling us to influence the rules applied in the waters of other member states to the benefit of our industry.
Mr. Porter: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what interpretation his Department's officials make of open access by all member states to all waters when they are advising him and preparing for negotiations with the United Kingdom's partners on fisheries policy; and if he will make a statement; [8377]
- (2) what estimate he has made of legal obstacles in the way of the Government beginning negotiations with the United Kingdom's EU partners to reform the common fisheries policy so that there is no common access to fish resources in all waters; what legal obstructions would prevent the United Kingdom leaving the common fisheries policy; and if he will make a statement. [8458]
Mr. Baldry: The Council of Ministers can decide by qualified majority on the basis of a proposal from the European Commission that there shall be no common access to fish resources in all waters. This, indeed, is the current arrangement.
I explained to the House on 22 November Official Report, column 591. The steps that would be necessary for the United Kingdom to leave the common fisheries policy.
Mr. Porter:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the policy of his EU counterparts to reform the common fisheries policy; and if he will make a statement. [8389]
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Mr. Baldry:
I shall discuss improvements to the common fisheries policy with my counterparts in other member states once I have considered the conclusions of the CFP review group.
Mr. Porter:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to reduce the bureaucratic requirements placed on the fishing industry in respect of the common fisheries policy; and if he will make a statement. [8369]
Mr. Baldry:
It is the Ministry's policy to keep to the minimum the burdens which the common fisheries policy places on the industry. A close dialogue is maintained with the industry and we welcome constructive proposals for deregulation in the fisheries sector.
Mr. Porter:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what talks he has had recently and expects to have in the next three months with the EU Fisheries Commissioner on the state of (a) the British fishing industry, (b) the future of the common fisheries policy and (c) relative stability in the fishing industry; and if he will make a statement. [8373]
Mr. Baldry:
Both before and during the Fisheries Council on 21-22 December 1995 I spoke to Mrs. Bonino about the state of the British fishing industry and the future of the common fisheries policy. I plan to have further discussions with her in March.
Mr. Porter:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to consult hon. Members representing fisheries and the fishing industry before proceeding further towards reform of the common fisheries policy; and if he will make a statement. [8376]
Mr. Baldry:
I will welcome the views of any hon. Member on ways of improving the common fisheries policy.
Mr. Porter:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy on interpreting the "common resource open to all" basis of the common fisheries policy in respect of Spanish and Portuguese fishing vessels in former British waters (a) where there is historic evidence of their fleets fishing and (b) where there is no evidence of their fleets fishing; and if he will make a statement. [8378]
Mr. Baldry:
Spanish and Portuguese fishing vessels have no access within the United Kingdom's 12-mile limits. Within our 200 mile limits, they are also excluded from the North sea, the Irish sea and the Bristol channel. These exclusions are based on historic fishing patterns.
Mr. Porter:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in what circumstances he will bring forward to his EU counterparts a scheme to abandon the common fisheries policy altogether and reinstate sovereign waters with bilateral arrangements for fish management; and if he will make a statement. [8993]
Mr. Baldry:
Proposing to scrap the common fisheries policy altogether is not a realistic option.
Mr. David Porter:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will undertake research into
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franchising areas of sea to fishermen as an alternative to licensing boats; and if he will make a statement. [8403]
Mr. Baldry:
I have no plans to undertake such research. Under Council regulation (EC) No. 3690/93 of 20 December 1993 establishing a Community system laying down rules for the minimum information to be contained in fishing licences, member states are required to operate a licensing system for fishing vessels.
Mr. Porter:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to replace decommissioning as a tool of effort reduction, with closure of specified areas of seas during relevant spawning seasons; if he will make it his policy to allocate money set aside for decommissioning of fishing vessels to compensate all sectors of the fishing industry during such close seasons; and if he will make a statement. [8407]
Mr. Baldry:
I have no such plans.
Mr. Porter:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will undertake feasibility studies on effective policing of fisheries regulations by a system of closed sea areas during spawning seasons to replace the present licensing system; and if he will make a statement. [8387]
Mr. Baldry:
There are a number of areas where fishing is controlled to protect young fish and to allow them to grow to maturity. The merits of any particular closed area have to be carefully evaluated, bearing in mind the mixed nature of our fisheries and the fact that fish will move in and out of areas. Nevertheless, protected areas are generally regarded as making a useful contribution to conservation. They are not, however, an alternative to the present licensing and TAC system because uncontrolled fishing effort outside such areas could outweigh the benefits achieved from closed spawning grounds.
Mr. Porter:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what methods of control, management and conservation of the fish stocks of the United Kingdom he proposes to assess (a) in addition to and (b) instead of the current regime of the common fisheries policy; and if he will make a statement. [8375]
Mr. Baldry:
Key elements in the common fisheries policy are the structural regime and the fisheries management regime.
The structural measures under the multi-annual guidance programmes are directed towards reducing the fishing effort of the fleets of member states to bring it better into line with fishing opportunities. The UK is spending £53 million on decommissioning fishing vessels to this end. We will be consulting the fishing industry prior to discussions on the changes needed for the next round of programmes starting in 1997. The fisheries management regime under the CFP is, like the regimes applied by many countries around the world, based on establishing total allowable catches which are administered as fishing quotas.
The quota management system applied by the UK is discussed with our industry each autumn to see whether changes should be made. At the most recent discussions there were no suggestions that any substantial changes would be helpful. However, the industry has been invited to see whether there are any changes which could usefully
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be made which would be acceptable to the industry collectively. I am awaiting its response, which I shall consider carefully.
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