asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out in full the agreement reached between the European Community and Spain on fishing rights in Community waters; and if he will give his assessment on how this will affect the south-west fishery.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear in her statement on 2 April about the recent European Council, the agreement reached between the Community and Spain is a very satisfactory one so far as the United Kingdom fishing industry is concerned, setting out as it does arrangements applicable for the whole duration of the present Common Fisheries Policy up to 2002. In particular:

(i) unless the Council should decide otherwise during a review provided for in 1993, Spanish vessels will be allowed to fish only in waters to which they currently have access and will in addition be excluded from the Irish box until the end of 1995;

(ii) only 150 standard vessels (ie vessels of 700 bhp) will be allowed to fish simultaneously at any one time, this figure being divided between the ICES Areas concerned in the same proportions as the licenses at present granted under the EC-Spain Fisheries Agreement;

(iii) Spain will receive 30 per cent. of the Total allowable catches (TACs) for hake in waters which she has traditionally fished which is the same as her average share for the years 1979–84, in addition to which she will be permitted to take up to 4,500 tonnes of hake outside the TACs for the first 3 years only;

(iv) with the exception of megrim in area VII, Spanish shares of monkfish and megrim in areas of direct concern to UK fishermen will be those she currently receives under the EC-Spain fisheries agreement;

(v) Spain will also receive small share of nephrops and pollack, which she currently fishes under the by-catch provisions of the EC-Spain agreement, and for which TACs and quotas will be set for the first time for the Community as a whole in 1986; and she will receive flat rate entitlements for blue whiting and horse mackerel.

With the strictly limited exceptions I have instanced, which are of relatively minor significance to our fishermen, the agreement thus confines Spain to those waters and species for which she currently has access, in addition to which the number of Spanish vessels fishing in our waters will continue to be strictly controlled. As such, it preserves intact the effective fishing opportunities of United Kingdom fishermen and averts any question of a renegotiation of the CFP. These are factors which I know will be very welcome to our fishermen, including those in the south west.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures he is taking to increase fishery protection off the south-west of England in the light of the new agreement between Spain and the European Community on fishing rights.

The nature of the agreement reached between Spain and the European Community on Spanish fishing in the waters of the existing member states after accession does not require any immediate increase in the resources devoted to fisheries protection, which are deployed flexibly in response to enforcement needs.We have however impressed upon the Commission the need to ensure that the strength of the Community inspectorate is adequate to meet the increased demands that will be placed upon it after Spain and Portugal have joined the Community.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what information was supplied to the Council of Ministers concerning the admission of Spain and Portugal to the European Economic Community on the differences between the producer price levels and guarantees available in Spain and Portugal by comparison with those which will be available to them after entering the European Economic Community; and if he will make a statement;(2) if the admission of Spain and Portugal to the European Economic Community will lead to an increase or decrease in the production by these nations of foodstuffs covered by common agricultural policy intervention and guarantees; and if he will make a statement.

During the accession negotiations the Commission circulated information on price levels in Spain and Portugal which showed considerable variation from those in the Community. Trading arrangements also differed. Overall while prices in Portugal tended to be higher than those in the Community prices in Spain tended to be lower.Changes in volumes of production following accession will depend on many factors including relative price levels. Existing state trading arrangements will have to be dismantled and the Spanish and Portuguese markets gradually opened to trade from the rest of the Community. Any overall assessment of whether there will be an increase or decrease in foodstuffs covered by the common agricultural policy in the acceding countries would be subject to a wide margin of error.