§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the dredging programme in the North sea, area 107; what proposals he has to ensure that full consultation takes place; what compensation is to be made available to the Lynn fishermen; what is the time scale for compensation; and if he will make a statement; [4765]
(2) what use is being made of the material being dredged from North sea, area 107; and if he will make a statement. [4767]
§ Mr. BaldryA Crown Estate licence to dredge area 107 was first granted in 1968. Under the Government view arrangements, the current uplift in the annual extraction limit for the area has been agreed for a period of four years. Material extracted under this variation may be used only to complete the initial major beach renourishment programme being undertaken by the National Rivers Authority from Mablethorpe to Skegness in order to reduce the risk of flooding to some 35,000 people. Extensive consultation with fisheries representatives took place before the variation was agreed.
There is no provision for compensation, but in the Government view that we gave we made it clear that the consent was subject to a number of conditions which were designed to afford the maximum protection to fish stocks. Additionally, we required the dredgers to have a fisheries liaison officer aboard every vessel.