Oral Answers to Questions

Douglas Ross Excerpts

Wednesday 11th July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Douglas Ross (Moray) (Con)]

3. What assessment he has made of the opportunities for the Scottish fishing industry after the UK leaves the EU.

[David Duguid (Banff and Buchan) (Con)]

7. What assessment he has made of the opportunities for the Scottish fishing industry after the UK leaves the EU.

[The Secretary of State for Scotland (David Mundell)]

I am proud to say that this Conservative Government are unequivocally taking Scotland’s fishermen out of the hated common fisheries policy. Just last week, the UK Government published their fisheries White Paper, which sets out that as an independent coastal state, we will at long last regain control of our waters.

[Douglas Ross]

Does the Secretary of State know whether the Scottish Government are supporting the central aims of that fisheries White Paper—namely that we leave the CFP; that we decide who catches what, where and when; that we manage the expansion of our industry in a sustainable way; and that we are not blackmailed by Brussels for our market—or does the SNP want to keep us in the hated CFP?

[Mr Speaker]

Hopelessly long. I have already said that we need to speed up. The trouble is that people have these pre-prepared, scripted questions—[Interruption.] Well, the hon. Member for Moray (Douglas Ross) has learned it, and we are grateful to him.