§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr. Elliot Morley)My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has asked the Strategy Unit to look at the medium to long term issues facing UK marine fishing and propose strategic options.
At a meeting with representatives of the UK fishing industry on 28 January the Prime Minister agreed on the need for a project setting out options for the next five to 10 years. The Strategy Unit will carry out this project leading to a final report, which will analyse the current situation facing the fishing industry and map out options for the future.
The Unit's work will be steered by a group, which I shall chair, consisting of Ministers and senior officials from the fisheries departments: the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Scottish 20WS Executive, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Office as well as Scotland Office, Wales Office, No. 10 and other key Government Departments.
Sustainable management of UK fisheries will be successful only if we harness the expertise of the industry, scientists and the NGO community. The project will proactively consult all stakeholders in order to reach a shared vision for a sustainable future that optimises the value we get from the marine fisheries resources available to us.
The Strategy Unit work will aim to be completed by autumn this year.
A document setting out the scope of the study is available on the Strategy Unit website http://www.strategy.gov.uk/.