§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what reasons underlay the decision to grant full Spanish accession to the common fisheries policy as part of the Norwegian accession negotiations; whether this was at the insistence of(a) Spain or (b) Norway; and if she will make a statement on reasons for the United Kingdom position on the issue.
§ Mr. JackThe accession treaty of Spain and Portugal provides for certain of its fisheries provisions to be amended. The Commission proposed the integration of Spanish and Portuguese fishing arrangements into the CFP in October 1993. The subsequent negotiation on the principles to guide the Commission in drafting detailed rules for the waters and resources concerned was concluded at the Fisheries Council on 12 April. As provided for in the accession treaty, it was decided by qualified majority vote—not as the result of the insistence of a single country. In my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison),Official Report, columns 183–84, I explained why the outcome was satisfactory.
146Wdrainage schemes which are intended primarily to increase agricultural production but assistance may be available for works intended to alleviate flooding or coastal erosion in rural areas provided these meet the Ministry's technical, economic and environmental criteria.