§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will seek to amend regulations currently allowing foreign-owned super-trawlers to register under British registration and prevent them from fishing British waters.
§ Mr. CurryAs a result of the European Court ruling given in the Factortame case last year, non-British EC nationals may register fishing vessels in the United Kingdom provided those vessels are to be operated, managed and controlled from here. Beam trawlers like other fishing vessels are subject to United Kingdom licensing and quota management rules, but any restriction on grounds of nationality would be discriminatory and contrary to Community law. Fisheries Departments operate a restrictive licensing policy so that any newly registered beam trawler will need to have transferred onto it a licence which has been issued to an existing vessel. This arrangement restricts access of beam trawlers in order to protect stocks. It has applied in the North sea since August this year and was an extension of the arrangements which existed in area VII since 1985.