Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

UK-EU Catch Limits

Thursday 27 January 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK has seen a 15% increase in quota share for the UK fleet, set to increase annually until 2026.
  • Scotland has been allocated 36,000 of the 60,000 tonnes of additional UK quota.
  • Government aims to work with the fishing industry to gather necessary data for stock sustainability.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 David Duguid Con
Brexit
Context

The MP is concerned about the allocation of fishing quotas between the UK and EU, particularly impacting the UK fleet's share in 2023.

Question

What steps he is taking to ensure a greater share of the UK-EU catch limits for the UK fleet in 2023?

Answer from Victoria Prentis

We have seen uplifts in quota share across the UK, with an increase of approximately 15% already. It will continue to increase year on year until 2026. My hon. Friend will be pleased to know that there have been some particularly significant uplifts for the pelagic sector.

Answered
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Q2 David Duguid Con
Business & Trade
Context

The MP is seeking to understand the financial benefits that have accrued to the Scottish fishing industry since its independence from the Common Fisheries Policy.

Question

Could she provide an estimate of how much the Scottish fishing industry has benefited in 2021 from being outside the CFP and particularly from negotiating as an independent coastal state for the first time?

Answer from Victoria Prentis

My hon. Friend, a great champion for the industry, will know that Scotland has so far been allocated 36,000 of the 60,000 tonnes of additional UK quota. The Scottish industry is also benefiting from additional white fish quota and from the ability to undertake quota swaps.

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Q3 Daniel Zeichner Lab Cambridge
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The MP is raising concerns about the new catch reporting app required by the Government, which forces fishermen to estimate fish weights before landing them.

Question

When I was with Essex fishers in the estuary earlier in the week, they told me just how difficult that is. More data may help in the negotiations, but data is no justification for the much-loathed catch app that the Government are imposing, which requires fishermen to guess the weight of their fish before they land them.

Answer from Victoria Prentis

In answer to the hon. Gentleman's serious question, we will continue to work with the fishing industry on the best way to make sure we have the data that we need—as I think he would agree—to assess the future sustainability of stocks.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific impact and criminal penalties regarding weight estimation inaccuracies

How: Serious Question

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