§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the capacity of EU institutional structures to accommodate regional fisheries councils. [127001]
§ Mr. MorleyThe capacity of the EU institutional structure to accommodate regional fisheries councils will depend on the role and powers envisaged for such bodies.
§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has held with representatives of the European Commission on initiating consideration at EU level of proposals for zonal fisheries management. [126926]
§ Mr. MorleyMy officials and I regularly discuss with the European Commission and colleagues from other member states ways of improving fisheries management at the regional and zonal level. Most recently, I made clear at the Fisheries Council on 16 June that we welcomed recent moves to enhance the regional dimension of the Common Fisheries Policy through, for example, the extension of regional workshops and the regional consultations on the Irish Sea cod recovery programme. These helpfully bring together fishermen, scientists and administrators to consider together improvements in the management of specific stocks in particular areas.
§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has held with the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations and the Scottish Fishermen's Federation on the Hull University report, "Regional Management of European Fisheries". [126924]
§ Mr. MorleyNeither my right hon. Friend nor I have met the NFFO or SFF to discuss the Hull University report. Officials are to have an initial meeting with the NFFO and SFF on 29 June to discuss their joint document, "Zonal management: a new vision for Europe's fisheries".
§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of zonal fisheries management in relation to(a) overfished stocks, (b) excess fishing capacity and (c) discard. [126927]
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§ Mr. MorleyThe National Federation of Fishermen's Organisation and the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (NFFO/SFF) document, "Zonal management: a new vision for Europe's fisheries", is now being studied and officials will be meeting the NFFO and SFF on 29 June to discuss it.
§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further meetings he has planned with(a) the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations and Scottish Fishermen's Federation, (b) European Commission officials, and (c) representatives of EU member states to discuss regionalisation of fisheries policy. [126928]
§ Mr. MorleyOfficials will be meeting the NFFO and SFF on 29 June to discuss their joint document, "Zonal management: a new vision for Europe's fisheries".
My right hon. Friend expects to meet Commissioner Fischler shortly to discuss the 2002 CFP review, in the course of which we will make clear the Government's desire to secure a stronger regional dimension for the CFP and to involve fishermen more fully in fisheries management. We will also continue to make the same point in our regular contacts with colleagues in other member states.
§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the state of preparations for the 2002 CFP Review; and if he will identify the key issues for the UK. [126925]
§ Mr. MorleyThe European Commission has indicated that it will shortly begin preparing a Green Paper on the 2002 review, to be issued early in 2001. My right hon. Friend expects to meet Commissioner Fischler in the near future to discuss this matter. He will emphasise that the UK wishes to maintain key features of the present arrangements such as national quotas based on relative stability and access restrictions within national 6/12 mile limits; and that we wish to secure improvements to make the CFP a more effective instrument for conserving fish stocks, including enhancing the regional dimension and integrating environmental considerations more fully.
§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from relevant parties on treaty changes required for304W zonal fisheries management; and if he will publish the external legal opinion he has received in respect of these matters. [126923]
§ Mr. MorleyNeither my right hon. Friend nor I have received any such representations or external legal opinion.
§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of trends in the fishing industry with regard to(a) recruitment and retention of staff, (b) profitability and (c) employment levels. [126930]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Sea Fish Industry Authority published in 1999 a Labour Market Survey National Report, which evaluates employment trends, skill shortages and training needs. The Authority also publishes periodically data on the costs, earnings and profitability of a number of categories of vessels in the UK fishing fleet. Each year, MAFF publishes the United Kingdom Sea Fisheries Statistics, which contains information on numbers of fishermen.