Recreational Sea Bass Fishing

Debate between Scott Mann and Huw Irranca-Davies

Thursday 11th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Scott Mann]

I was not aware of that, and I thank the hon. Lady for making those points. I want to talk about some of the EU changes. I welcome the ban on French pair trawlers between January and April. They account for about a third of the bass taken in British waters, and many of the bass that they catch are spawning fish. Taking large spawning fish out of the ecosystem means there are no smaller fish to grow and become bigger fish. In the EU changes, we should be talking about reclaiming our territorial waters. The EU holds the common fisheries policy up as a shining example of joined-up thinking, but I am yet to find a commercial fisherman or a recreational sea angler who believes that the CFP is a good thing.

[Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore) (Lab)]

I am delighted to be drawn into intervening by the hon. Gentleman. May I draw his attention to a 3-inch piece in a right-hand column in The Times about six months ago—a tiny little thing—which reported that the long-running battle to replenish cod in the North sea was being won? Cod stocks are growing bigger, as we can read in the press again today. North sea cod has been replenished because instead of cod wars we have agreements based on science to replenish the stocks. Those agreements are working.

[Scott Mann]

I will try to check out that column in The Times. It is not my regular newspaper—I normally read The Telegraph and The Sun—but I will go back and check it. Such agreements may be fine in other waters, but we should have an understanding that our territorial waters inside the 6-mile limit should be protected for our fisheries and our people.

Great Western Railway Routes

Debate between Scott Mann and Huw Irranca-Davies

Monday 8th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Scott Mann]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Train connections have raised the wage base in other areas, and over the years the south-west has suffered from a low wage, high house price economy. Many of our young people struggle to get houses and to get on in life. If those rail services come online, businesses will invest in the south-west, which will give our young people every opportunity, which is great.

[Huw Irranca-Davies]

The hon. Gentleman is making a fine speech. I urge him to look, when he has time, at the development of the south Wales metro concept, because it covers urban and rural areas, and valleys as well as major conurbations. It is a great idea, because it relies not only on rail, but on other modes of transport that work on time and are affordable. It has a way to go, but a south-west metro concept comes to mind.

[Scott Mann]

I will, of course, have a look at those reports. The hon. Gentleman spoke eloquently about his valleys and the branch lines within his valleys, so I look forward to reading those reports.

In conclusion, the Great Western railway is a valuable asset to the south-west and it could be improved. Without it, the region would crumble, which is why we must make it better, faster and more resilient. Today, many of my colleagues will have been affected by the severe weather in the south-west. In fact, we have heard that four fallen trees have affected the railway service in Bodmin and around the south-west. It is quite fitting that those trains have been delayed on the same day as this debate. I am confident that the GWR franchise will continue to serve our region well, linking it to the capital, and that the Peninsula Rail Task Force and the south-west MPs will all work together for our corner of Britain and make it a better place to live, work and play.