HL Deb 16 February 1995 vol 561 c48WA
Lord Stoddart of Swindon

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How it is in British interests to pay £28 million to British fishermen to decommission vessels to allow additional fishing by Spanish fishing vessels in British waters; and whether they agree that the effects of such payment are a subsidy from public funds for the creation of jobs for Spanish fishermen and a consequent loss of British jobs.

The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Earl Howe)

All member states have accepted an obligation to reduce the capacity of their fishing fleets because we are faced with a situation where fishing capacity outstrips available fish stocks. The targets set are tailored to the particular circumstances of each member state's fleet. Decommissioning is a cost effective measure that we have used to contribute towards meeting those targets which is at the same time popular with the fishing industry. I expect the addition of £28 million to the £25 million already allocated for decommissioning to do much for the longer term prosperity of the fishing industry in the UK.

Under the access arrangements for Spanish vessels to apply in western waters from 1 January 1996, the principle of relative stability remains untouched. This means that our own quota entitlements remain unchanged, and our fishermen's ability to take those quotas is explicitly protected under the agreement reached in the Fisheries Council last December.