§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason and how much EU compensation is being paid in this financial year to Spanish fishermen for loss of fishing opportunities in Morocco; what the UK contribution is to this compensation; and what EU compensation is to be paid to British fishermen for loss of fishing opportunities under Cod Preservation plans. [17306]
§ Mr. MorleyThe European Council, at its meeting in Nice in December 2000, asked the Commission if it did not prove possible to conclude a future fisheries agreement with the Kingdom of Morocco to propose, keeping within the financial perspective, a specific action programme for restructuring the Community fleet which had fished within the framework of the old agreement.
Now that negotiations between the EU and Morocco on a new agreement have failed, the proposal before the Council of Fisheries Ministers on 27 November would provide 197 million euros of new Community money, over two years, towards the restructuring of the fleets concerned, which are Spanish and Portuguese. We have made sure in negotiating that the terms of the measures are aimed at achieving real restructuring which avoids diversion of effort to Community waters.
This measure will not increase the UK's contribution to the EU budget.
1087WNo EU compensation has been paid to British fishermen as a result of recovery measures to protect cod stocks. I would find it difficult in principle to justify making compensation payments for a decline in stocks, particularly when the cause of the problem could relate to overfishing, or for conservation measures put in place to improve stocks and fishing opportunities in the future.
However, in order to promote the restructuring of the UK fleet, decommissioning schemes totalling £36 million are currently in place in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.