§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if it is her policy to support the European Commission's proposal to extend vessel monitoring by satellite to include all fishing vessels down to 10 metres; [61610]
(2) if she plans to offer financial support to the owners of fishing vessels to cover the costs of complying with the European Commission's proposal to extend vessel monitoring by satellite to all vessels over 10 metres. [61611]
§ Mr. MorleyAs yet there are no firm proposals to extend satellite monitoring to all vessels over 10 metres although this is suggested in the Commission's road map to the reform of the CFP. Satellite monitoring has applied to vessels over 24 metres since 1 January 2000 and has made a significant contribution to the effectiveness of enforcement operations across the Community. There are obvious advantages in extending satellite monitoring and we shall need to consider carefully its impact on smaller vessels. It is too early to say whether funding will be available.