§ Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a detailed statement on the recent Conference on the Law of the Sea at Geneva, defining the present rights, duties and liabilities of British fishermen in the waters around the British coasts and further north which British fishermen have customarily used as fishing grounds.
§ Mr. Awberyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of the failure of the 88-nation conference at Geneva on fishery limits, and of the danger to the lives of United Kingdom txawlermen from incidents between the 38W fishery protection vessels of both countries if he will now open unilateral negotiations with Iceland with a view to arriving at a mutual agreement.
§ Mr. ProfumoOn the recent Conference on the Law of the Sea I have nothing to add to the statement made to the House on 28th April by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. In the absence of any change in international law the rights, duties and liabilities of British fishermen remain unaltered. The practical implications of the absence of agreement on any new rule of law are under urgent consideration.
As my right hon. Friend said, we remain ready to negotiate with Iceland, and for this reason I warmly welcome the decision of the Icelandic Government to waive charges for past alleged fishery offences.