§ Mr. MacLennanasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what communication he has received from the hon. Member for Caithness and Suthrland relating to the severe problems encountered by the fishing industry in Wick; if he will publish the communication in the Official Report; and if he will take action to meet the needs of the industry.
§ Mr. YoungerI received a letter from the hon. Member on 30 January enclosing a message he had received from the Wick Fishermen's Association which asked for imports to be restricted because of difficulties being experienced on the market. While I do not think that it would be appropriate for me to have the letter published in theOfficial Report, my response is as follows.
It is not possible for the Government to impose import controls unilaterally. There can be no controls on imports from other EC member States and any controls on imports into the Community must be agreed at Community level. During 1980, tariff suspensions on imports of a number of key species of fish were ended following pressure from the United Kingdom Government and reference prices—which are part of the Community's system of safeguards against low-priced imports—were increased. New reference prices have just been agreed for 1981. These are substantially higher for the species of importance to us and this should provide the basis for more effective protection.
66WThe United Kingdom Government have for some time been arguing for a more satisfactory system to control imports into the Community and the Commission has now produced proposals aimed at tightening up on imports from third countries. The Government are giving careful consideration to these proposals and will be pressing for the new import regime to be as effective as possible in protecting the catching industry while not damaging the interests of the processors or the consumers.