§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will(a) establish and (b) financially assist an early retirement scheme for fishermen as a means of reducing fishing effort. [60179]
§ Mr. MorleyI have no plans to do so.
§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assistance he will offer for the installation of safety equipment on fishing vessels under 10 metres in length. [60180]
§ Mr. MorleyGrants for the installation of safety equipment are currently available for fishing vessels of 12 m and over in length. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency are consulting the fishing industry on a Safety Code for under 12 m vessels. Once these consultations are complete and decisions have been taken on the code, I will consider the implications for vessel safety grants.
§ Mr. GillTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food with which other states he has discussed the concept of coastal or zonal state management proposed by the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations and the Scottish Fishermen's Federation. [59827]
§ Mr. MorleyThere has not yet been an opportunity to discuss the NFFO and SFF's proposals formally with other Member States. However, the NFFO and SFF have themselves been discussing their ideas with their counterparts in other Member States and I shall be interested to see the outcome of these contacts.
§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to introduce a scrap and build programme for fishing vessels under 10 m. [60182]
§ Mr. MorleyNone.