§ Lord Mason of Barnsleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which fishing and trawler licences have been sold and transferred to Spanish trawlers during each of the past 10 years both from individual sales and fishing groups. [HL157]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)The only fishing vessels licensed by the Government and the devolved administrations are those registered in the United Kingdom by the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen or by the relevant authorities in Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey. Comprehensive records on the beneficial ownership of such vessels are not maintained but based on advice from coastal fisheries offices it is estimated the following number of vessels have been part or wholly owned by Spanish interests in each year since 1996.
Number 1996 107 1997 107 1998 97 1999 81 2000 71 2001 75 2002 69 2003 66 Information on the individual licensing transactions affecting these vessels is not readily available but the overall number of licences held by Spanish interests will have fallen broadly in with the decline in vessel numbers.