§ Lord Juddasked Her Majesty's Government:
What arrangements have been made to monitor the economic, social and employment consequences for Mauritania of the fishing agreement signed this year between the European Union and Mauritania. [HL1321]
What the impact on the livelihoods of artesenal traditional fishermen in Mauritania has so far been of the fishing agreement signed this year between the European Union and Mauritania. [HL1322]
What in terms of safety and distance out to sea to be ventured in order to fish have been the 132WA consequences of the fishing agreement signed this year between the European Union and Mauritania on the artesenal traditional fishermen of Mauritania. [HL1323]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)The Government have been pressing the case, both by working with the Community External Fisheries Group and through inputs into the Development Council Fisheries and Poverty Reduction Strategy, for improvements to the way that the European Union negotiates and monitors its fisheries agreements with third countries and assesses their impact, including their impact on the third countries concerned. Better mechanisms are needed to ensure that these agreements provide value for money to the Community taxpayer, provide for proper enforcement and control, promote environmentally sustainable fishing and are coherent with Community development objectives. In specific relation to Mauritania, our pressure helped secure safeguards to protect Mauritanian fish resources, including a regular review on the state of fish stocks. But we shall continue to press for more, both by way of general principle and in relation to future draft agreements and are committed to working with other member states on this and future agreements.