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ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Restrictive Shellfish Licensing Scheme
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr. Elliot Morley): For some time, scientists have been advising us that UK crustacea stocks within British waters are at risk of being exploited beyond their sustainable limit. Defra (then MAFF) issued a consultation letter on 5 January 2001 to gauge industry reaction to a series of proposals to address the problem. One of these was to introduce a restrictive shellfish licensing scheme. The industry's responses to our consultation were very constructive and supportive.
Last October I told Sea Fisheries Committees, shellfish interests and whitefish industry representatives that we would be going ahead with proposals to control effort in the shellfish sector as soon as resources became available. I am delighted to announce that we can now proceed immediately and address the large numbers of concerns that have been put to me about the need to protect the shellfish sector from the effects of possible displacement from other types of fishing.
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With effect from January 2004 in respect of over 10 m vessels, and 1 April 2004 in respect of under 10 m vessels, in general only holders of existing fishing vessel licences who have been able to demonstrate that they have fished for crabs or lobsters using pots or nets, and have landed or sold more than 200kg lobsters or 750kg crabs during any 12 month consecutive period between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2002, will be given authority to continue to fish for them. At the same time we will set a limit on the quantities that may be landed by licensed fishing vessels which do not qualify for a shellfishing entitlement.
We will issue further detailed guidance on eligibility for the scheme in the near future and application forms will be informed sent to all license and entitlement holders as soon as they become available. It will be the responsibility of individual applicants to provide satisfactory and acceptable proof of their eligibility for a shellfish entitlement. Decisions will be fully explained and documented to fishermen deemed not to qualify.
CABINET OFFICE
Regulatory Impact Assessment (Compliance)
The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Mr. Douglas Alexander): A baseline for measuring the level of compliance with the Regulatory Impact Assessment is today being placed on the website of the Cabinet Office Regulatory Impact Unit http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/regulation. An exercise in December 2002 to establish a snapshot of the level of compliance provided a figure of 92 per cent. We will keep this under six monthly review and strive not only to maintain this level of compliance but improve it. In addition, we recognise the need to increase the quality of RIAs and the value they add to the policy making process. We are working closely with departments to identify ways of achieving this.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Iraq
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Jack Straw): My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister visited Camp David on 26 and 27 March. I joined him there on 27 March. The Prime Minister dined with President Bush and I with Secretary Powell (in Washington) on 26 March; and we attended a session of plenary talks on 27 March. The Prime Minister and I then went on to New York to call on the Secretary General of the United Nations.
Much of our discussions focused on the future, looking beyond the conflict. But we also reviewed first the military situation.
We noted that the military campaign was on track. The outcome was not in doubt. The coalition were prosecuting it with vigour and determination, but in a way which minimised, as far as humanly possible, civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure.
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The coalition were also working intensively to ensure humanitarian relief. In recent days UFA Sir Galahad has delivered humanitarian supplies (including water, rice and lentils) at Um Qasr; the drinking water plant in the same town has been repaired and the drinking water pipeline from Kuwait completed.
The Prime Minister and President Bush made clear their joint commitment to reuniting the UN Security Council in expectation of further work on the post conflict political process and reconstruction.
At Camp David, the Prime Minister and President Bush agreed that progress on oil for food—OFF— was the key humanitarian priority. More than half of Iraq's people depend on OFF for their food. So it was urgent for the Security Council to give the Secretary General authority to start getting OFF food to them. The necessary Security Council Resolution (1472) was indeed adopted unanimously in the Security Council on 29 March.
The Prime Minister and President Bush made clear that we would seek new UN resolutions to affirm Iraq's territorial integrity, to ensure rapid delivery of humanitarian relief and endorse an appropriate post-conflict administration for Iraq. President Bush made clear US commitment to the establishment of a new Iraqi government chosen by the Iraqi people themselves.
The Middle East peace process was a major feature of the Prime Minister's discussions with President Bush. President Bush, the first US president to do so, publicly restated his vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security and reiterated his commitment to implementing the roadmap. He noted that he saw an opportunity to bring renewed hope and progress to the entire middle east.
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HEALTH
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Ms Hazel Blears): In response to information received from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the first reported cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the Department, along with the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has continually monitored the threat to the UK from this as yet unidentified virus.
On 13 March, the Department issued an alert to all general practitioners, National Health Service trusts, and public health professionals, with detailed information on the symptoms of this illness and advice on the management and reporting of probable cases. The Public Health Laboratory Service (as it was at the time) also issued information to professionals through their alert system.
Further information has subsequently been made available to the profession and public on infection control, surveillance, management of patients, microbiological sampling and investigation and advice for travellers to affected areas and updated on a daily basis via the Department's and the PHLS's websites.
As a result of this timely response and high degree of vigilance amongst the profession and public, to date we have had only three probable cases of SARS in the UK, this is against a total number of 1,804 in 15 countries. All three of the cases in the UK have recovered from their illness.
These robust public health measures currently in place have so far contained this disease in the UK.
We, along with the HPA and WHO, continue to monitor this situation very carefully and advise the public and profession accordingly.