§ Sir Patrick Wallasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is ready to make a statement on the market development programme drawn up by the Sea Fish Industry Authority.
§ Mr. MacGregorI am pleased to be able to announce that the Government have agreed to make a substantial contribution to the cost of launching the Sea Fish Industry Authority's market development programme amounting to £7.9 million over the first three years.
When the authority was established we asked that it pay particular attention to marketing. The action programme which it has now drawn up after discussion with Ministers on an earlier draft reflects this request and sets out to tackle a range of problems to which the industry must attend if it is to take full advantage of the opportunities open to it.
These include the need to encourage the better handling of fish both on board vessels and at all stages of the distribution chain: the need to seek new marketing outlets for all fish but in particular those, like herring, which present particular problems or opportunities: the need to develop and encourage the full use of appropriate training and education facilities and the need to increase public awareness of fish and its value as a food.
We believe that this programme can help the industry to meet these challenges, but the authority will need the full, effective and active support of the industry itself if it is to succeed.
For their part, the Government are ready to help fund the programme by providing launching aid of up to £1.715 million in 1984–85, £2.7 million in 1985–86 and £3.5 million in 1986–87.
For the current year subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate the cash limit for Class III, Vote 4, will be increased by £1,386,000 from £142,159,000 to £143,545,000. The proposed provision of £1,715,000 for the development programme is partly offset by savings of £27,000 resulting from the abolition of the national insurance surcharge and by a saving of £302,000 on the turn over of food stocks. Otherwise the addition is being met from within the existing public expenditure provision for fisheries, and will therefore not add to planned expenditure on programmes.
In accordance with our obligations under Article 93(3) of the European Community treaty we have notified the Commission of our proposals. We await its confirmation that the proposed aid is acceptable within the context of the Community's rules on state aids.
Copies of a document outlining the main elements of the SFIA programme will be placed in the Library of the House.