§ Lord Randall of St. Budeauxasked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the possibility of introducing charges on the fishing industry. [HL1987]
§ Lord DonoughueThe question as to whether the fishing industry might contribute to the costs of decommissioning was raised by my right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at our first High Level meeting with industry leaders last July. We have also indicated that it would be included in the possibilities considered in the current comprehensive spending review. As a contribution to continuing discussion of this issue, we have placed in the Library of the House copies of a recently completed academic report by the University of Portsmouth which the department commissioned towards the end of last year.