PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT GENERAL COMMITTEES Public Bill Committee FISHERIES BILL [LORDS] First Sitting Tuesday 8 September 2020 (Morning) CONTENTS Programme motion agreed to. CLAUSE 1 agreed to, with an amendment. Adjourned till this day at Two o’clock. PBC (Bill 153) 2019 - 2021 No proofs can be supplied. Corrections that Members suggest for the final version of the report should be clearly marked in a copy of the report—not telephoned—and must be received in the Editor’s Room, House of Commons, not later than Saturday 12 September 2020 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2020 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1 Public Bill Committee 8 SEPTEMBER 2020 Fisheries Bill [Lords] 2 The Committee consisted of the following Members: Chairs: †STEVE MCCABE,SIR CHARLES WALKER † Bonnar, Steven (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) † O’Hara, Brendan (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) (SNP) † Owatemi, Taiwo (Coventry North West) (Lab) † Bowie, Andrew (West Aberdeenshire and † Peacock, Stephanie (Barnsley East) (Lab) Kincardine) (Con) † Pollard, Luke (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) † Butler, Rob (Aylesbury) (Con) (Lab/Co-op) † Coutinho, Claire (East Surrey) (Con) † Prentis, Victoria (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of † Duffield, Rosie (Canterbury) (Lab) State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) † Smith, Cat (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab) † Fletcher, Katherine (South Ribble) (Con) † Wild, James (North West Norfolk) (Con) † Goodwill, Mr Robert (Scarborough and Whitby) † Young, Jacob (Redcar) (Con) (Con) † Jones, Fay (Brecon and Radnorshire) (Con) Rob Page, Committee Clerk † Morris, James (Lord Commissioner of Her Majesty’s Treasury) † attended the Committee 3 Public Bill Committee HOUSE OF COMMONS Fisheries Bill [Lords] 4 The Chair: With this it will be convenient to discuss Public Bill Committee amendment 62, in clause 2, page 3, line 33, at end insert— Tuesday 8 September 2020 “(3A) The Secretary of State must annually lay a statement before Parliament on progress towards achieving the fisheries (Morning) objectives. (3B) The first such statement under subsection (3A) must be [STEVE MCCABE ] in the Chair laid before Parliament within 12 months of this section coming Fisheries Bill [Lords] into force.” This amendment would add a requirement on the Secretary of State to 9.25 am lay before Parliament an annual statement on progress towards achieving the fisheries objectives. The Chair: Good morning. I will make the usual preliminary points. We have been asked to be fairly strict about social distancing, so I ask you to bear that Luke Pollard: It is good to be back in the Fisheries in mind. If you find that you are bit constrained on one Bill Committee. A few of us in the room—the hardy side of the room, people are allowed to sit where there is few—are alumni of the last time that we had a sitting of space; it will not affect your vote or anything like that. I the Bill Committee, which was a good debate. We have a also ask you to switch your phones and electronic Committee that is made up of all political parties and is devices to silent. Mr Speaker does not permit tea, coffee focused on getting the best deal for our fishers, which is or other drinks to be consumed during the sitting. what the Opposition seek to do by proposing a number of amendments that look at how we strengthen our We shall start with the programme motion, which fishing sector, how we make it more sustainable, and was agreed at the Programming Sub-Committee yesterday. how we do so clearly. I know there has been a lot of Ordered, misdirection around positions on fishing in the past, That— especially after the Second Reading debate. However, I (1) the Committee shall (in addition to its first meeting at trust that there will not be any further misdirection by 9.25 am on Tuesday 8 September) meet— political parties’press offices, especially the ones responsible (a) at 2.00 pm on Tuesday 8 September; for the rather shameful adverts that we saw after Second (b) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday Reading. 10 September; (c) at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 15 September; Labour supports the Bill. We support it because we (d) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday want our fishers to have a sustainable future. We want 17 September; to see a coastal renaissance that creates more jobs in (2) the proceedings shall be taken in the following order: fishing, lands more fish in British ports and enables us Clauses 1 to 11; Schedule 1; Clauses 12 and 13; to eat more local fish. It is in that spirit that we have Schedule 2; Clauses 14 to 19; Schedule 3; Clauses 20 tabled a number of amendments. Amendments 61 and to 23; Schedule 4; Clauses 24 to 29; Schedule 5; 62 stand in my name and that of the shadow Fisheries Clauses 30 to 35; Schedule 6; Clause 36; Schedule 7; Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley Clauses 37 to 44; Schedule 8; Clauses 45 and 46; East. A lot has changed in the past two years, but I hope Schedule 9; Clause 47; Schedule 10; Clauses 48 to 54; new Clauses; new Schedules; remaining proceedings that we can make some real progress and get a good on the Bill; deal, because time to get a good deal for our fishers is (3) the proceedings shall (so far as not previously running out, with the hard deadline for our departure concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 5.00 pm on from the Brexit transition period the end of the year. Thursday 17 September.—(Victoria Prentis.) Clause 1 sets the tone for the entire Bill, highlighting the objectives—what they are, and how they will be put The Chair: We are off to a flyer. We now begin into practice—but it also sets the tone for the next line-by-line consideration of the Bill. The selection list 50 years of fishing in Britain. If we get this right, we for the sitting is available in the room; it shows how the have the opportunity to create more jobs and that selected amendments have been grouped together. coastal renaissance, but we will need amendments to Amendments on the same or a similar issue are generally the Bill to get there. That is the simple challenge that I grouped together, but please note that decisions on put to members of this Committee. How sustainable do amendments take place not in the order they are debated—I we want our industry to be—indeed, do we want it to be know this occasionally confuses all of us—but in the sustainable or not? Our amendments show clearly that order they appear on the amendment paper. The selection we want fishing to be more sustainable, because there is and grouping list shows the order of debate. Decisions no future for fishing if it is not sustainable. Sadly, that is on each amendment are taken when we come to the not implied by the Government amendments. clause that the amendment affects. The amendments in the House of Lords that made Clause 1 sustainability the prime consideration of fisheries management were a really important statement. It said FISHERIES OBJECTIVES that Britain will not be overfishing, that Britain values our fish stocks, and that we will support our industry so Luke Pollard (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) (Lab/ that it has a sustainable future. Those Lords amendments Co-op): I beg to move amendment 61, in clause 1, were a beacon of sustainability and good environmental page 1, line 11, at end insert— practice, and we should defend that in this Committee. “(1A) Any public authority with functions relating to fisheries activities or fisheries management must have regard to the I am pleased that the Government took the time to fisheries objectives in the exercise of those functions.” consider the amendments proposed by Labour the last This amendment would place a duty on public authorities to have regard time that this Bill was discussed—indeed, a large number to the fisheries objectives in exercising their fisheries functions. of those amendments have now been made and they 5 Public Bill Committee 8 SEPTEMBER 2020 Fisheries Bill [Lords] 6 will be defended by the Government. I am grateful to sectors that were most at risk. However, the annual the Minister and her officials for listening to our arguments, fisheries debate has become slightly less frequent, and it if not at the time then subsequently, and for accepting has moved around because of the frequency of fisheries those amendments. But when it comes to sustainability, Bills. Having an annual report laid before Parliament we need to recognise that more needs to be done. and therefore discussed by parliamentarians is the key Fishermen and women are some of the original stewards part of amendment 62 that would allow us to look at of our environment. Many of those I have spoken to in what progress has been achieved towards the objectives. Plymouth, which I represent, and in fishing ports across Amendment 61 states that people must have due regard the country know how important it is that fishing is in the exercise of public functions, and amendment 62 sustainable, that we protect our ecosystems. We must states that there must be decent scrutiny of the progress recognise the impact climate change is having on fish towards those objectives. Both are important starting stocks and reproduction rates, on the zones where certain points for the Bill.