Oral Answers to Questions

Karl McCartney Excerpts

Thursday 9th January 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Question 14. Karl MᶜCartney.

[Karl MᶜCartney (Lincoln) (Con)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is good to be back—and I do like your socks.

[Karl MᶜCartney (Lincoln) (Con)]

14. What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on (a) fishing and (b) marine policy after the UK leaves the EU.

[The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Steve Barclay)]

I welcome my hon. Friend back to his place as a great champion of the constituency of Lincoln. We continue to have regular conversations with ministerial colleagues on all aspects of exiting the European Union, including fisheries and marine policy.

[Karl MᶜCartney]

And there was me saying I liked your socks.

The good city of Lincoln is not that close to the sea, but further to the Minister’s answer to Question 4, in percentage terms and considering everything we now know, how confident is my right hon. Friend not only that will we leave the common fisheries policy completely, but that we will then be in full control of our fishing areas and quotas, and therefore able to influence international total allowable catches?

[Steve Barclay]

I am 100% confident on those issues, because page 46 of the Conservative manifesto, which I know my hon. Friend knows in detail, makes it clear that we will leave the common fisheries policy and become an independent coastal state. For the first time in more than 40 years, we will have access to UK waters on our own terms, under our own control, and we will be responsible for setting fishing opportunities in our own waters.