§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment his Department has made of the possibility of unregulated fishing by new vessels in deciding policy on relinquishing sovereignty over Rockall waters; and if he will make a statement. [130784]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Rockall fisheries zone (RFZ) was relinquished in 1997 as a result of the previous UK Government acceding to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Article 121(3) of UNCLOS prevents
rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their ownbeing used to generate exclusive economic zones. Maintenance of the RFZ would not therefore have been compatible with UNCLOS and so would have been open to legal challenge.It was recognised that third countries would have access to the new area of international waters, which falls within the regulatory area of the North East Atlantic Fisheries commission (NEAFC). I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 3 July 2000, Official Report, column 9W, which explains the action being taken by the Government to secure specific NEAFC management measures to regulate fishing in the Rockall area.