HC Deb 26 June 1979 vol 969 cc104-5W
Mr. Bowden

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Council of Ministers (Fisheries) meeting in Luxemburg on 26 June.

Mr. Pollock

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the last meeting of the Council of Fisheries Ministers.

Mr. Peter Walker

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food accompanied me to the meeting of the Fisheries Council on 25 June.

The Council discussed conservation measures proposed by the Commission, the first of which would not have come into operation until 1 September. Our own conservation measures, as I had previously announced on 18 May, would come into operation on 1 July. We considered that it was vital that they should. Eight member States and the Commission urged that we should abandon these national measures. I refused to do so and therefore these measures will come into operation on 1 July.

The Council agreed to an extension for four months to 31 October 1979 of the existing interim arrangements requiring member States to have regard to the needs of conservation in the management of fisheries, but I refused to accept changes that were proposed in these roll-over provisions.

I told the Council that the United Kingdom was not prepared to accept the piecemeal approach that would be involved in the adoption of a number of limited Community measures that were on the agenda at this meeting. Accordingly, I refused to agree to proposals dealing with conservation, catch reporting and the management of stocks shared with third countries.

I made it clear to the Council that any discussion on the common fisheries policy in the coming months would have to recognise the fundamental fishing interests of the United Kingdom.