§ 12. Mr. Andrew George (St. Ives)What assessment he has made of the prospects of any European Union nation unilaterally withdrawing from the common fisheries policy and repatriating the nation's fishing waters to the 200 mile limit. [74090]
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. Elliot Morley)Such action would breach European Community treaty commitments and be incompatible with membership of the EC.
§ Mr. GeorgeI am grateful to the Minister for that reply. I do not wish to intrude upon the obvious problems that the Tories are having as they fish around for a coherent fishing policy, but does the Minister accept that we are now in a crucial position to reform the common fisheries policy by decentralising the fishing regions? Indeed, that policy was supported by Tory Members of the European Parliament only a few weeks ago.
§ Mr. MorleyThe hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. The Conservative party seems to be very confused about what is its policy. There is no doubt that the common fisheries policy is in need of reform, and I believe that we have the opportunity to achieve that. However, the CFP will certainly not be reformed by threatening to break international treaties or saying that, no matter what negotiations take place, one side will always answer no.
§ Mr. Patrick Nicholls (Teignbridge)Let me make it clear yet again: in our defence of the British fishing industry, we rule nothing in and nothing out. Is not the moral of the exchange—one might even say the love-in—that we have just witnessed between the Liberal Democrats and the Government that neither of those parties has the slightest intention of demanding and securing the return of United Kingdom waters? It is only the Conservative party that would make and secure that demand, showing the same determination that Margaret Thatcher displayed when she made and secured our original budget rebate. Is it not starkly obvious that the self-same Minister who sold out to the quota hoppers in Amsterdam still cannot bring himself not to betray the British fishing industry?
§ Mr. MorleyThe hon. Gentleman seems not to have noticed that, unlike the previous Government, we have negotiated the return of quota from some of the quota hoppers back to the United Kingdom fleet as part of our economic link arrangements. As to the Conservative party's policy, Fishing News reported that Hague was still vague on fishing policy. Whatever that policy might be now, when we came to power in May 1997, fishing policy was a complete shambles. It is quite clear that nothing has changed at all as far as the Conservatives are concerned.