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Fish Quotas

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the status is of the proposals contained in the consultation document issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, dated 11 June 1998, headed Fixed Quota Allocations for Domestic Waters (Areas IV, VI and VII); [213883]

(2) whether the Department's policy on the feasibility and desirability of collecting and maintaining at individual vessel level comprehensive data on the catches made by under 10 metre PO members remains as set out in Annex B, section 8 of the consultation document issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, dated 11 June 1998, headed Fixed Quota Allocations for Domestic Waters (Areas IV, VI and VII). [213884]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 3 February 2005]: Iwill reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible. The letter of 11 June 1998 communicates the Ministerial decision that a system of fixed quota allocations (FQAs) should be introduced in domestic waters from 1 January 1999. This decision was preceded by extensive consultation with the fishing industry.
 
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The position set out in the letter, regarding the management of under 10 vessels through producer organisations (POs), was changed following a review of the operation of the FQA system in consultation with industry in 2000–02. As a result of that review Fisheries Departments decided that under 10 metre vessels should, for the first time, be permitted to fish against sectoral" quota allocations managed by POs as an alternative to fishing against the pool" quota allocations for the under 10 metre fleet which are managed by Fisheries Departments in consultation with industry. The owners of the small proportion of under 10 metre vessels who elect to fish against PO allocations are required to complete EU logbooks and submit landing declarations in the same way as vessels over 10metres. The new arrangements were communicated to fishermen in August 2002.

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in how many areas in (a) the UK and (b) France, monthly cod quota allocations are imposed on individual vessels operated by under 10 metre PO members; and when those limitations were imposed. [213885]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 3 February 2005]: Within the UK under 10 metre vessels whose owners elect to fish against quota allocations managed by producer organisations (POs) are not subject to monthly catch limits set by Fisheries Departments. Iunderstand that in France, unlike in the UK, all under 10 metre vessels whose owners wish to fish for quota stocks are required to join a PO and to observe any catch restrictions which their PO may set. We do not have details of those restrictions.

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what legal instruments set out her Department's powers to impose monthly quota allocations in the Channel fishery (ICES area VIId) in respect of and landings by individual vessels in the under 10 metre fishing fleet; when those instruments were promulgated; when they were first published; and when they came into force; [213886]

(2) what the legal basis under (a) Community law and (b) domestic law is for establishing monthly quota allocations in the Channel fishery (ICES area VIId) in respect of cod landings by individual vessels in the under 10-metre fishing fleet. [213882]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 3 February 2005]: Council Regulation (EC) No. 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 provides (Article 20 (3)) that each member state shall decide on the method of allocating fishing opportunities (in the form of portions of its national quotas) to its vessels. Sub-section 4 (6) of The Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967 (c. 84) stipulates that fishing vessel licences may be

... subject to such conditions as appear to the Minister granting the licence to be necessary or expedient for the regulation of sea fishing".

Monthly catch limits for vessels under 10 metres catching cod in ICES area Vlld and other parts of the Channel fishery were first introduced in June 2002. The holders of fishing vessel licences for such vessels were formally notified of the limits by letter of 28 May 2002 enclosing licence variations, following which the catch
 
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limits became an enforceable condition of their licences. Subsequent changes to the limits were similarly notified: these included the introduction for 2003, following representations from fishermen, of separate profiled" catch limits for the Eastern and Western Channel, details of which were sent to fishermen on 20 January 2003.

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what (a) consultation documents and (b) other communications have been published by her Department since 11 June 1998 concerning the collection at individual vessel level of data on the catches made by under 10 metre PO members; [213860]

(2) what representations her Department has received from (a) fishermen and (b) fishermen's representatives since 11 June 1998 in relation to (i) the collection at individual vessel level of data on cod catches made by under 10 metre PO members and (ii) the imposition of monthly quota allocations for individual vessels operated by those members exploiting waters in Area VIId. [213861]

Mr. Bradshaw: In June 2000, following requests from industry, Ministers announced that arrangements would be considered to enable producer organisations (POs) to manage quota on behalf of under 10 metre vessels in their membership. As part of a wider review of the system of fixed quota allocations (FQAs), a consultation letter was sent to fishermen and other interested parties on 8 October 2001 proposing, among other changes, that the owners of under 10 metre vessels should be permitted to fish against quota allocations managed by POs, and that those vessel owners opting to do so should maintain logbooks and submit landing declarations. This proposal was supported by the majority of those who commented and was accepted by Ministers, whose decision was notified to fishermen in August 2002. Since then correspondence has been received from a relatively small number of under 10metre vessel owners in the form of requests to participate in the new arrangements.

Under 10 metre vessels fishing against quota allocations managed by POs are not subject to monthly catch limits set by Fisheries Departments, but to such restrictions as their POs may determine.

Meat Imports

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Food Standards Agency about the quality of meat imported from (a) Brazil and (b) Argentina; and if she will make a statement. [211626]

Mr. Bradshaw: I have not discussed this issue with the Food Standards Agency. All fresh meat imported into the UK must conform to EU rules.

Methane Emissions

Mr. Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate she has made of the percentage of worldwide methane emissions that arise from the (a) processing, (b) transmission, (c) storage and (d) distribution of natural gas in the UK; [211302]
 
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(2) what estimate she has made of the annual level of methane emission in the UK arising from the (a) processing, (b) transmission, (c) storage and (d) distribution of natural gas for each of the last five years; [211304]

(3) what international comparisons she has made of the annual level of methane emissions arising from the (a) processing, (b) transmission, (c) storage and (d) distribution of natural gas. [211305]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 27 January 2005]: These categories of emissions are counted together in the UK greenhouse gas inventory under the entry for Natural Gas Transmission and Distribution. The table shows data for the years 1998 to 2002 inclusive.
UK emissions of methane from natural gas transmission and distribution

	(thousand tonnes of methane)
1998	348.7
1999	349.0
2000	335.6
2001	342.8
2002	338.6

These estimates represent around 1.3 per cent. of global anthropogenic methane emissions for these categories of emissions for the years in question, and these emissions in turn are estimated to have been around 10 per cent. of total global anthropogenic methane over the same time period. The international comparisons draw on data compiled by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.

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