Chamber
Plenary, 05 Mar 2003
05 Mar 2003 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
Subordinate Legislation
Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2003<br />Sea Fishing (Transitional Support) (Scotland) (No 2) Scheme 2003
If the minister dedicates £40 million to decommissioning and gives no alternative to the fleet but bankruptcy, there will be applications for decommissioning. If the money is to target boats that catch cod, it is clear that a large section of the white-fish fleet may be forced into decommissioning—there will be no alternative. He must accept the reality. If he emphasised the provision of short-term aid, that would ease the pressure on prawn stocks, for example, and displacement would become less of a problem.
Of course, we must use the mid-term scientific review that is coming up to ensure that there are more catching opportunities for white-fish stocks for the Scottish fleet. However, the European Commission is already sending out worrying signals that on 1 July, any new regime will be just as painful as the existing regime. That begs a question for the minister: what will happen between 1 July and the end of the year, given that the Commission has the legal powers to keep the current regime in place until then? If he puts all his eggs in one basket, he is saying, in effect, that there will be no cash for short-term aid after the six months is over and the fleet can just go to the wall. If the fleet goes to the wall, the harbours will go to the wall. If the harbours go to the wall, the onshore businesses will go to the wall, local fish processors will close down and the minister will have succeeded in decimating Scotland's fishing industry. There is no doubt that boats will queue up for the decommissioning cash if there is no alternative but bankruptcy, but skippers do not want to do so because they know that that is not in the long-term interests of the industry. We must emphasise transitional and short-term aid.
The SNP calls on members of all parties to give hope for the future and hope to the tens of thousands of families whose incomes are dependent on fishing that the Parliament is on their side. The issue is not about ignoring the science. The current crisis largely arose from political decisions, not from scientific decisions. Those political decisions were based on out-of-date and incomplete science, as even the minister has said. The crisis also follows the United Kingdom minister's failure to stand up for Scotland in Brussels.
Ross Finnie described the measures imposed on Scotland by Brussels and the UK fisheries minister as
"Inequitable, unfair and even crude"—[Official Report, 8 January 2003; c 16679.]
Quite rightly, Ross Finnie did not return from Brussels and say that the proposals were logical and scientifically sound—they were not.
We must ensure that there is light at the end of the tunnel for Scotland's fishing communities, that the necessary support is available and that the industry emerges from the crisis intact, as far as possible. Scotland's fishing communities will not give up without a fight. Too many livelihoods and a way of life are at stake. If the Labour party and the Liberal party, which run this country, are not interested in saving the fishing industry, I have no doubt that the whole of Scotland will be unforgiving on 1 May. Scotland will get behind the SNP, as the SNP will deliver recovery, not redundancy, for our fishing communities.
I move amendment S1M-3959.1, to insert at end:
"but, in doing so, supports the views of the fishing industry, fishing communities and the Rural Development Committee that the overwhelming emphasis of any Scottish Executive aid package should be on transitional aid for the fleet and onshore sectors rather than the decommissioning of vessels, and urges ministers to respond positively to the proposals by industry representatives on how this can be best achieved."
Of course, we must use the mid-term scientific review that is coming up to ensure that there are more catching opportunities for white-fish stocks for the Scottish fleet. However, the European Commission is already sending out worrying signals that on 1 July, any new regime will be just as painful as the existing regime. That begs a question for the minister: what will happen between 1 July and the end of the year, given that the Commission has the legal powers to keep the current regime in place until then? If he puts all his eggs in one basket, he is saying, in effect, that there will be no cash for short-term aid after the six months is over and the fleet can just go to the wall. If the fleet goes to the wall, the harbours will go to the wall. If the harbours go to the wall, the onshore businesses will go to the wall, local fish processors will close down and the minister will have succeeded in decimating Scotland's fishing industry. There is no doubt that boats will queue up for the decommissioning cash if there is no alternative but bankruptcy, but skippers do not want to do so because they know that that is not in the long-term interests of the industry. We must emphasise transitional and short-term aid.
The SNP calls on members of all parties to give hope for the future and hope to the tens of thousands of families whose incomes are dependent on fishing that the Parliament is on their side. The issue is not about ignoring the science. The current crisis largely arose from political decisions, not from scientific decisions. Those political decisions were based on out-of-date and incomplete science, as even the minister has said. The crisis also follows the United Kingdom minister's failure to stand up for Scotland in Brussels.
Ross Finnie described the measures imposed on Scotland by Brussels and the UK fisheries minister as
"Inequitable, unfair and even crude"—[Official Report, 8 January 2003; c 16679.]
Quite rightly, Ross Finnie did not return from Brussels and say that the proposals were logical and scientifically sound—they were not.
We must ensure that there is light at the end of the tunnel for Scotland's fishing communities, that the necessary support is available and that the industry emerges from the crisis intact, as far as possible. Scotland's fishing communities will not give up without a fight. Too many livelihoods and a way of life are at stake. If the Labour party and the Liberal party, which run this country, are not interested in saving the fishing industry, I have no doubt that the whole of Scotland will be unforgiving on 1 May. Scotland will get behind the SNP, as the SNP will deliver recovery, not redundancy, for our fishing communities.
I move amendment S1M-3959.1, to insert at end:
"but, in doing so, supports the views of the fishing industry, fishing communities and the Rural Development Committee that the overwhelming emphasis of any Scottish Executive aid package should be on transitional aid for the fleet and onshore sectors rather than the decommissioning of vessels, and urges ministers to respond positively to the proposals by industry representatives on how this can be best achieved."
In the same item of business
The Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Ross Finnie):
LD
In the short time that the Presiding Officer's announcement gave me, I added a little theological content to my speech, so that members will not feel deprive...
Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con):
Con
The minister used the word "restructuring", but is it not the case that we are talking about destructuring, given the extent of decommissioning that he expec...
Ross Finnie:
LD
That is a highly excitable and, if I might say so, wholly unfounded intervention. We are talking about decommissioning to the extent of 15 per cent of effort...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP):
SNP
Will the minister take an intervention?
Ross Finnie:
LD
I shall make a little progress and then I shall take another intervention.I turn to the two instruments for debate, beginning with the Fishing Vessels (Decom...
Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
The minister will recall that the last time that a decommissioning scheme went through the Parliament, there was huge concern about the fact that many of the...
Ross Finnie:
LD
I shall come on to the detail of that. In general terms, let us be absolutely clear that, essentially, there has to be a contract between the Executive and t...
Richard Lochhead:
SNP
The minister talks about transitional aid to get the industry through the difficult period ahead. The signs that we are getting from the European Commission ...
Ross Finnie:
LD
We must address the question that is before us today. We have introduced a package, we have discussed it and we have allocated funds for it. We are in danger...
Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP):
SNP
Will the minister take an intervention?
Ross Finnie:
LD
No. I will make one more point. It is important that, as set out in SSI 2003/116, the compensation formula will reflect vessels' historic activity. As I expl...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
We all understand and agree with the objectives that the minister has described. Does he accept that there is almost unanimous agreement in the industry that...
Ross Finnie:
LD
The member said that the funding "is available", but that is not accurate, as it has not yet been approved by the Council of Ministers and the European Parli...
Mrs Margaret Ewing:
SNP
In relation to the European scheme, what have the Scottish Executive and the Westminster Government done to ensure that support is given to the budget-line a...
Ross Finnie:
LD
All I know is that we have indicated that if such a scheme were available, we would be genuinely interested in it. It is for the UK ministers to pursue the m...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Mr Murray Tosh):
Con
Amendments S1M-3958.1 and S1M-3959.1 are in the name of Richard Lochhead.
Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
This morning's events certainly reinforce the Scottish National Party's view that the Parliament does not have appropriate powers to deliver for Scotland's f...
Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD):
LD
Is not Richard Lochhead's amendment somewhat disingenuous? I know for a fact that he misrepresents the views of members of the Rural Development Committee. H...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
You are repeating yourself, Mr Rumbles.
Richard Lochhead:
SNP
If that is the best that the member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine can come up with, I suggest that he sit on his backside for the rest of the debate....
Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab):
Lab
The member said that other countries were building new vessels. If the SNP were in power, would it subsidise fishermen to do that at this juncture?
Richard Lochhead:
SNP
One thing that the SNP would not do is destroy the vast bulk of our own fishing fleet.Over the past three years, the Executive has introduced two aid package...
Ross Finnie:
LD
Would it not be more accurate to say that we have actually spent 85 per cent trying to conserve stocks so that there is a sustainable fishing industry?
Richard Lochhead:
SNP
One does not conserve the fishing industry by destroying it.The minister says that he needs to scrap vessels in order to secure two of the 15 days a month at...
Mr Rumbles:
LD
Disgraceful.
Richard Lochhead:
SNP
Despite what Mike Rumbles says, it is there in black and white in the committee's report, which was published last week.
Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD):
LD
Will Richard Lochhead give way?
Richard Lochhead:
SNP
I want to continue with my speech.The SNP's amendment on the decommissioning scheme would ensure that any such scheme would be sensible. The minister must do...
Ross Finnie:
LD
On what basis does the member tell us that the 180 dedicated white-fish vessels amount to only 15 per cent of Scotland's fishing effort on cod?
Richard Lochhead:
SNP
If the minister dedicates £40 million to decommissioning and gives no alternative to the fleet but bankruptcy, there will be applications for decommissioning...