Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
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Thursday Volume 607 17 March 2016 No. 135 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 17 March 2016 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2016 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1067 17 MARCH 2016 1068 saw increases in cod and haddock quotas in the North House of Commons sea. As a result of the work that we have done with other countries, including Norway, Iceland, the Faroes Thursday 17 March 2016 and other EU countries, we have seen a recovery of stocks, in the North sea in particular. The House met at half-past Nine o’clock Angela Smith (Penistone and Stocksbridge) (Lab): PRAYERS Does the Minister acknowledge, however, that one of the difficulties involved in Brexit is that it is not necessarily [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] easy to erase grandfather fishing rights? BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS George Eustice: With many countries—EU member states and also countries such as the Faroes, Iceland and MACUR REVIEW Norway—we have mutual access agreements, and we Resolved, have annual discussions about the allocation of fishing That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, That opportunities. This is the norm. Whether countries are she will be graciously pleased to give directions that there be laid in the EU or not, there is always a large degree of before this House a Return of parts of a Paper, entitled The international debate on these issues. Report of the Macur Review: An independent review of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the abuse of children in care in the former county council areas of Gwynedd and Clwyd in North Wales Richard Benyon (Newbury) (Con): Will my hon. Friend since 1974, dated 17 March 2016.—(Sarah Newton.) confirm that whatever happens on 23 June, there will still need to be quotas, fishermen will still want to export to EU countries two thirds of the fish and 86% Oral Answers to Questions of the shellfish that we land in the United Kingdom, and fishermen will still want to retain rights to fish in EU waters? ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS George Eustice: My hon. Friend is right. Countries outside the European Union do have quota systems. We The Secretary of State was asked— have considered alternatives, but a quota system of Fishing and the EU some sort, with the flexibilities that we are trying to introduce, is the best way to conserve fish stocks, we 1. Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): What plans believe. Just as Norway, the Faroes and Iceland have she has to repatriate control over British fishing waters quotas, we would retain those too. When it comes to the and policy in the event of the UK leaving the EU. market, whichever side of the EU debate people are [904150] on—whether they believe we should stay in or leave—we all agree that free trade is to the benefit of everyone. The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (George Eustice): We have made some progress in reforming the common fisheries policy Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) (LD): so that there is a commitment to fish sustainably, a ban I commend the Minister, who is obviously walking a on the wasteful practice of discarding fish, and new very careful line today. He knows, however, that we had flexibilities to improve the way quotas work. As my foreign trawlers operating in British waters before we hon. Friend knows, the formal Government position is were in the UK—[Interruption.]—sorry, before we joined that the UK should remain a member of the European the European Union, and that would remain the case if Union. However, should there be a decision to leave in we were to leave. How many bilateral arrangements the forthcoming referendum, there are well-established would be necessary if we were to leave the European international conventions that govern territorial scope Union? Can the Minister tell the fishermen in my and the way nation states manage fisheries. constituency how the crucially important EU-Norway negotiations, which have a tremendous direct impact on Mr Hollobone: The EU’s common fisheries policy has us every year, would be conducted? been a disaster for both the British fishing industry and our marine environment. Overfishing by heavily subsidised George Eustice: The right hon. Gentleman makes an Spanish trawlers has seen North sea cod stocks fall by important point. There is a misconception that the 80% and the number of fishermen halved, and Britain December Fisheries Council of the EU decides fishing is constantly outvoted on matters affecting our traditional opportunities in the North sea. As he and others know, British fishing grounds by EU member states that have fishing opportunities in the North sea are decided at the no coastlines themselves. Will the Minister draw up North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission through the plans to repatriate our fishing grounds as soon as coastal states meetings and then EU-Norway. The UK possible? currently does not have a seat at those meetings; we are George Eustice: As I said, the formal Government represented by the EU. Obviously, if we were to leave, position is that we should remain a member of the EU, the UK would regain its seat on NEAFC. but my hon. Friend knows that Ministers have been given the discretion to take an alternative view if they Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con): There is little want. We have made progress in reforming the common doubt that membership of the EU has been damaging fisheries policy. This year at the December Council we to the deep-sea fishing industry, but looking to the 1069 Oral Answers17 MARCH 2016 Oral Answers 1070 future, does my hon. Friend agree that our relationships Mr Speaker: I call Kerry McCarthy. [Interruption.] I with non-EU countries such as Iceland are particularly had thought the hon. Lady was seeking to come in on important to the industry? Question 2. George Eustice: Yes, my hon. Friend makes an important Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab): No. point. For Grimsby and his constituents, the close relations and the partnership we enjoy with Iceland in particular Mr Speaker: We have been misadvised. Never mind. is extremely important. There is a tradition in this country that we import much of the fish that we consume, Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Con): notably from Iceland and to a limited extent from We want to come in. Norway, and that we export much of the fish that we catch to the EU, but also to other third countries, such Mr Speaker: It is always nice to be wanted. as China and Nigeria. Tim Loughton: Is my hon. Friend aware of the problems Recycling Targets that some of these EU quotas cause local authorities such as Adur and Worthing in my constituency? The 2. Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): quotas are based on weight, and if the county council, What steps she is taking to meet the recycling targets in which is the lead authority, collects more through municipal recycling sites, other local authorities have less to collect, the EU circular economy package. [904151] so they cannot meet their targets and are penalised. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Rory Stewart): Rory Stewart: There certainly are issues there, and I There are two separate questions here. The EU circular am very happy to look at this specific one. However, we economy package is still under negotiation, but on should say that most councils still have some way to go, recycling rates we are doing well, as the hon. Gentleman so I pay tribute to South Oxfordshire, for example, knows. We have gone from 12.5% recycling in 2001 to which has hit a 67% recycling rate, when the national nearly 44% recycling. That is one of the real success average is about 44%. stories in the United Kingdom. Rob Marris (Wolverhampton South West) (Lab): Could the Government look at the problem of the number of Mr Sheerman: The hon. Gentleman will know that wretched plastic-lined paper takeaway coffee cups, the the aim of the package is to have a sustainable, low-carbon, overwhelming majority of which never get recycled resource-efficient, competitive economy. Does he accept because of the difficulties of ripping out the plastic that had it not been for European Union regulation, we lining? It is a huge problem. would be nowhere in terms of dealing with waste? If it had not been for the stimulation from the EU and the EU package, we in this country would still be throwing Rory Stewart: I absolutely agree: it is a huge problem— all our waste in holes in the ground. there are tens of millions of these things being produced and thrown away. As the hon. Gentleman pointed out, many cannot be recycled because of the way they are Rory Stewart: The hon. Gentleman tempts me into a disposed of or because of their composition. The much bigger political conversation, but it is true that the Government have tackled plastic bags—I hope everybody European Union has played a constructive role in this. in the House would agree that the plastic bag tax has It has shown real leadership on recycling, and there are been a success—and coffee cups seem to be a very good certainly things we can learn from other European thing to look at next. countries—particularly from Denmark and the success it has had on landfill. Flood Resilience Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden) (Con): I was litter- picking over the Clean for the Queen weekend outside a 3.