§ Mr. SykesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the impact on fish stocks of EU aid for Spanish fishermen to renew their fleet; and what proposals he has to provide assistance to the east coast fishing fleet. [12641]
§ Mr. BaldryEU or national aid for the construction of fishing vessels is authorised only where member states have met the targets in their multi-annual guidance programmes for reducing fleet capacity. These targets are based on independent scientific advice aimed at improving the balance between resources and their exploitation. Performance is assessed annually in a report from the Commission to the Fisheries Council.
The last such report, in July 1996, showed that the UK still had progress to make in meeting its end 1996 targets, and was not therefore eligible for aid. Targets for the next series of MAGPs, to run from 1 January 1997, and future EU policy on fleet renewal, are still under discussion in the Fisheries Council.
Vessels and ports on the east coast are, however, eligible for the various measures in the UK sectoral plan under the EU's financial instrument for fisheries guidance and, where appropriate, the PESCA initiative.
§ Mr. SykesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the impact of current levels of fish imports from the Faroe Islands with particular reference to the United Kingdom's east coast fishing fleet. [12656]
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§ Mr. BaldryI am aware of recent reports about the impact of supplies from the Faroes on prices for fish at markets such as Grimsby, but provided they respect EU reference price levels there are no grounds for action to be taken.
The EU market depends heavily on imports for its supplies, and fish processors in particular depend heavily on imported raw material because their needs cannot be met from EU resources.