§ 2.35 p.m.
§ Lord DenhamMy Lords, with the leave of the House, I will arrange for a Statement on the Fisheries Council meeting on 16th and 17th December that is to be made in another place this afternoon to be reprinted in the Official Report.
Following is the Statement:
"With permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a Statement about the Fisheries Council which I attended with my right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and my right honourable friend the Minister of State at the Scottish Office on 16th and 17th December.
"I am delighted to be able to report that, for the second year in succession the Council was able to reach political agreement before the start of the year on a package of total allowable catches and quotas for the Ten in 1986. This was subject only to a waiting reserve by Ireland. As last year, we agreed to the packaging on a temporary basis pending a debate in this House, which I hope can be arranged shortly after the Christmas recess.
"The agreement covers all the stocks for which TACs and quotas are currently set and we were able to achieve a package which was highly satisfactory for the United Kingdoms The TACs had to be based for the joint stocks on the agreement which the European Commission had reached with Norway and I was critical of some aspects of that agreement, notably on herring. But in general the package of TACs, quotas and third country arrangements which we negotiated offers a particularly attractive range of fishing opportunities for United Kingdom fishermen. On North Sea whitefish stocks, the package contains significant increase in our haddock and saithe quotas and improvements in the quotas originally proposed for cod, plaice and sole. We successfully resisted Danish pressure for continuation of the special allocation of cod to them outside the TAC. On North Sea pelagic species, we obtained from the agreed proposals and some further bilateral exchanges an increase of nearly one-third in our herring quotas in the important Northern and Central North Sea areas and a very useful increased mackerel quota in the North Sea.
"In the case of the Western pelagic stocks, the original quotas for mackerel and herring were increased, but in the outcome were still, as they should be in view of the scientific advice, below last year's levels. Sole and plaice stocks are of particular importance in the South West. I am glad to say that as a result of the package negotiated and the associated quota exchanges we were able to secure 947 increases of about one-third in the availability of sole in Area VII and about 10 per cent. for plaice. We also obtained an immediate increase in our current quota for plaice in the Bristol Channel which will allow the fishery to be reopened for the rest of the year.
"This adds up to a very satisfactory settlement indeed, but it was all overshadowed by the danger of the Commission proposal for an increase in the Norway pout by-catch derogation which could have done immense damage to our industry. We have fought against this for the past six months and I am relieved and delighted to report that this proposal was excluded from the package and the Commission has now withdrawn it.
"Lastly, the Council also agreed a series of improvements to the regulation on the control of fishing activities which should provide for better enforcement of logbooks and landing declarations as well as better control of transhipments to receiving vessels. This is further evidence of the importance which all fisheries Ministers are now attaching to more effective control of the fisheries.
"I hope that the House will have an opportunity to debate this settlement, and the arrangements for TACs and quotas for Spain and Portugal, which will be discussed at a further council tommorrow, very shortly after the Christmas recess. I have no hesitation in commending this package to the House."