HC Deb 29 January 1976 vol 904 cc654-6
7. Mr. Corrie

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will renegotiate the Common Fisheries Policy.

37. Mr. McNamara

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on the progress in the Common Fisheries Policy.

Mr. Bishop

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull, West (Mr. Johnson) on 22nd January.

Mr. Corrie

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the United Kingdom has the longest coastline in the EEC and therefore has most to gain or lose by renegotiation? As 200-mile exclusive economic zones are likely to be enforced in the next two years, would the hon. Gentleman agree that it is of the utmost importance in renegotiating the common fisheries policy to ensure that Great Britain gets at least a fair share of the fish in its waters, which it is not getting at present?

Mr. Bishop

The hon. Member is concerned about the urgency of renegotiations. I remind him that my right hon. Friend gave notice in Brussels as long ago as last April that we wanted an urgent re-appraisal of the policy and that we were not prepared to wait until 1982 when, under the Treaty of Accession, the common fisheries policy is to be reviewed. The Commission and all member countries are involved and these consultations take time. There have been consultations between the Commission and officials at which we have taken every opportunity to stress the need for an acceptable solution.

Mr. Powell

Is the hon. Member aware that this question is of such importance that it merits a reply from the Minister of Agriculture himself? Will the hon. Gentleman indicate when the fishing industry will be told the aims being pursued by the Government in the course of their renegotiation, if there is such a thing?

Mr. Bishop

I remind the right hon. Gentleman that all Ministers in the Department speak for the Government with equal authority. As I have said on many occasions, our aim in the review of the common fisheries policy will be to ensure that our fishermen can take catches which meet the needs of fishing communities and take proper advantage of the wealth in some of the waters around our shores. The United Kingdom has the biggest fishing industry in the Community. We want to make sure that the interests of the industry and the consumer are protected.

Mr. James Johnson

Is my hon. Friend aware that although the odious features of this policy stink in the nostrils of every hon. Member from any constituency—

Mr. Skinner

You voted for it.

Mr. Johnson

—there is a much more delicate and dangerous issue before us at the moment? Can my hon. Friend tell us what is happening in the Icelandic fishing dispute, particularly as we have been told that our ships have sailed and that the Icelanders have been given orders not to harass our vessels.

Mr. Bishop

The Commission has produced a working paper on the CFP review which is being considered. I refer my hon. Friend to the statement on the Icelandic situation by the Prime Minister yesterday which is still relevant to the current situation.

Mrs. Winifred Ewing

Can the hon. Member confirm the word "renegotiation" as at the last session of the European Parliament I was told by Commissioner Lardinois that there was to be no renegotiation? Is there to be a renegotiation or not? Who is the liar in this matter? Someone, either here or in Europe, is lying to the fishermen of Great Britain about this matter. What is the position on the coastal State preference which the EEC is to consider? Unless we have a 50- or 100-mile exclusive area, our rich pond, which has been preserved by our fishermen, who are preservationists, will be used up by European fishermen—[Hon. Members: "And the Russians."]—who have been the opposite.

Mr. Bishop

As various Ministers, including myself and my right hon. Friend, have been involved in discussions for at least four days on the Icelandic situation, on which we are awaiting the outcome, and as negotiations for a 200-mile limit will take place soon at the Law of the Sea Conference and as I have already given information about the common fisheries policy renegotiations, there is no reason for the hon. Lady or any other hon. Member to think that nothing is taking place on these fronts. As I have said, we recognise the importance of the industry to our economy and to our fishermen, and we shall certainly make sure that in all these negotiations our point of view is put most firmly.

Mr. Pym

May I give the Government the opportunity of issuing a categoric denial of a belief that is held, rightly or wrongly, by the industry—that the United Kingdom fishery interests may be or could be traded in some way for other objectives of the United Kingdom in the Community? Secondly, is the Minister aware that feeling in the House about the renegotiation of the common fisheries policy is very strong? The longer renegotiation is delayed, the more difficult it will become. There is a feeling that we are dragging our feet. Will the Minister make sure that we get on with this job?

Mr. Bishop

For the second time this afternoon I remind the right hon. Gentleman and his Front Bench colleagues that they were the architects of the common fisheries policy. They were the people who got rid of the fat stock guarantee. They negotiated the Treaty of Accession. The Government are committed, as my right hon. Friend has observed, to renegotiation of the common fisheries policy before 1982. We have said that we cannot wait long. We are pressing the matter with a sense of urgency. The right hon. Gentleman can leave us to look after British interests this time and to make the necessary changes in the terms which he and his party agreed to accept originally.