Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on funding for the seafood processing sector after the conclusion of the 2014-2020 European Marine and Fisheries Fund.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Chancellor announced in October 2016 that all European Marine and Fisheries Fund projects approved before the UK leaves the EU will be fully funded under a Treasury guarantee, even when these projects have not been completed by the UK’s departure date. This guarantee applies across the UK. Work to consider the longer term future of all funding programmes that are currently managed by the EU is underway. Leaving the EU means we will want to take our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously supported by EU programmes.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to spend the remaining £6.4 million from the 2014-2020 European Marine and Fisheries Fund.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The current assumption of the UK authorities is that we expect to commit all of the UK’s £243 million allocation of European Maritime and Fisheries Fund budget, with spending continuing to support projects within the Union Priorities as laid out in the Operational Programme.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the £4.9 million from the 2014-2020 European Marine and Fisheries Fund that his Department has spent on support for the seafood processing sector has been spent in Scotland (a) directly and (b) through the Barnett formula.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
All European Marine and Fisheries Fund funding spent in Scotland has been done so directly, and not through the Barnett formula.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the Scottish Government on support for the Scottish seafood processing sector.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Scottish Government is responsible for the Scottish seafood processing sector. However, as noted in our recent Fisheries White Paper, we think there are exciting opportunities for the whole seafood sector to supply consumers’ growing demand for sustainable, resource efficient and nutritious seafood.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on common frameworks facilitating cross-border trade and cross-border supply chains in the fishing industry between the constituent parts of the UK.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
A well functioning UK internal market brings economic and social benefits to everyone in the UK. Our policy is therefore to continue to work to preserve those benefits as the UK leaves the EU.
We are working with the devolved administrations to develop a new UK framework for fisheries management. This will respect the devolution settlements and maximise all fisheries administrations’ power to manage their fisheries, while maintaining the overall coherence of the UK’s fisheries policy, particularly to ensure compliance with international obligations, protect the UK internal market and manage our shared resources sustainably.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans next to meet with representatives of the Scottish Government to discuss coastal erosion in the north-east of Scotland.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Secretary of State has no plans to meet representatives of the Scottish Government to discuss coastal erosion in North East of Scotland. Responsibility for management of coastal erosion is devolved to the governments of the four nations of the UK. Coastal Erosion in this region is a matter for the Scottish Government.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the expansion of the UK fishing fleet.
Answered by George Eustice
On leaving the EU, we aim to take measures to support a diverse, profitable and sustainable fleet that serves the needs of coastal communities and the UK economy.
Our approach is set out in the Government’s White Paper Sustainable fisheries for future generations published on 4 July.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help increase seafood processing capacity.
Answered by George Eustice
Leaving the EU presents opportunities for the whole seafood sector across the UK, to supply consumers’ growing demand for sustainable, resource-efficient and nutritious food.
As at 31 March the UK has committed to spend £11.3 million from the 2014-2020 European Marine and Fisheries Fund to support the seafood processing sector, with £4.9 million already spent.
Seafood 2040 is an industry-led framework of 25 recommendations, which sets out the vision for the seafood supply chain in England. A number of these recommendations look to deliver improved infrastructure, which will contribute to increasing seafood processing capacity. The Scottish Government is responsible for the Scottish seafood processing sector.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the domestic labour pool in the fisheries sector.
Answered by George Eustice
Through the Seafood 2040 framework for England, the fishing industry have made a number of commitments to devise and deliver a single cross-sector seafood training and skills plan based on needs and requirements. Following a pilot labour survey of the catching sector in 2017, Seafish will be conducting a full labour survey as part of their wider analysis of the UK fleet in 2018. The results of the 2017 pilot are published by Seafish and the analysis undertaken in 2018 will be published later this year.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to meet representatives of the fishing industry in north-east Scotland to discuss fisheries policy after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The Secretary of State visited Aberdeen on 15 September where he met representatives of the fishing industry to discuss fisheries policy. Ministers and officials will continue to meet organisations and individuals across the UK to discuss fisheries policy, including representatives of the fishing industry in north-east Scotland.