§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement setting out the view of Her Majesty's Government on enlargement of the European Union and its consequences for the Scottish inshore fishing fleet.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 14 March 1994]: Fisheries have been an important element of the recent negotiations on enlargement of the European Union, particularly with Norway. The negotations with Norway will resume on 15 March, and the Government will continue to defend the interests of the United Kingdom fishing industry.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement setting out the view of Her Majesty's Government on access of the Spanish fleet to the North sea and its consequences for the Scottish inshore fishing fleet.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 14 March 1994]: Conclusions have not yet been reached in the review of the fisheries aspects of the Spanish and Portuguese Acts of Accession. The Government have made clear their determination to protect British interests in the North sea fisheries, as in other fisheries around the United Kingdom coastline.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the name, size, type and home port of all Scottish inshore fishing vessels accepted to date as being eligible for decommissioning.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 14 March 1994]: Final payments have still to be made to all the vessels for which conditional offers of decommissioning grant were made. A list of vessels receiving grant will be published in due course.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider introducing a policy of scrap and build for the Scottish inshore fleet.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 14 March 1994]: The fundamental imbalance between fishing effort and available fishing resources must be resolved if we are to ensure a secure future for the fishing industry. Limited public resources will yield the best value for money if they are targeted at this objective.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what effect he expects the current market price of 663W white fish pressure stocks landed from the North sea to have on the long-term future of the Scottish inshore fishing fleet.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 14 March 1994]: Market prices fluctuate markedly during the winter months owing, among other reasons, to the impact of the weather on the level of fishing activity. In those circumstances, there seems to be little to suggest that current market prices will have any long-term effects on the fleet.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals his Department has to deregulate any aspects of the current legislative provisions as they apply to the catching sector of the Scottish inshore fishing fleet.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 14 March 1994]: Fisheries departments are currently reviewing the licensing system for fisheries with the aim of simplifying and reducing the burden on the industry.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what discussions he has recently had with representatives of the European Union on the consequences of the suspension of the days at sea regulations; and what he now proposes as an alternative management regime for North sea white fish pressure stocks;
(2) what steps he is taking to protect white fish stocks in the North sea;
(3) if he will make a statement outlining the current proposals being considered by Her Majesty's Government on alternative methods of fishery management to be applied to the Scottish inshore fleet fishing in the North sea.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 14 March 1994]: My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and I met Commissioner Paleokrassas on 24 January to discuss conservation measures for fisheries in the light of the suspension of our days at sea scheme. Discussions are now being undertaken with the industry on these matters and a further statement will be made in due course.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the most recent estimates of the average age of the fishing vessels in the Scottish inshore fleet.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 14 March 1994]: There is no formal definition of vessels that comprise the Scottish inshore fleet. The table shows the average age of vessels based in Scotland in selected length bands. Age is not recorded for approximately one third of vessels of length 10 m or under.
Average age of vessels in the Scottish fishing fleet at 31 December 1993 for which the age is known
Registered length Average age (years) 10 metres or under 16.22 10- 19.22 15- 23.39 20- 17.78 25 metres or over 15.82 All vessels 18.06