Fisheries

Part of Points of Order – in the House of Commons at 2:12 pm on 25 January 2001.

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Photo of Malcolm Moss Malcolm Moss Conservative, North East Cambridgeshire 2:12, 25 January 2001

In our determination to achieve that goal, we shall not take "no" for an answer. In achieving our aims, we rule nothing in and nothing out. The CFP will no longer exist in its pure form once national control has been established. The policy will no longer be common to EU waters, nor will it retain the equal access principle at its heart.

At the beginning of the debate, the Minister made great play of the fact that he wanted to hear what our policy was. I refer to his words when he was in opposition. He said: We believe that the CFP should be radically reformed to allow us far greater autonomy and— wait for it— national control of fishing waters within our country's limits… We must say that the current situation is unacceptable and that there is a better way which meets the criteria of the CFP, but which gives all member states greater national control and a better way of managing fish stocks leading to a sustainable fishing industry. If we do not meet that objective, we will have no fishing industry.—[Official Report, European Standing Committee A, 23 July 1996; c. 25–27.] Will the Minister tell the House how his statements in 1996 differ markedly from what I just said?