To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will detail the total assistance given to the United Kingdom fishing industry in each year since 1974.
[holding answer 19 January]: The information requested is contained in the relevant chapter of the Government's expenditure plans for the years in question. Copies are available in the Library of the House. The plans show the direct expenditure on grant aid for the construction and modernisation of fishing vessels, harbour grants, decommissioning of fishing vessels, EC grant aid and expenditure on market support. There has also been substantial expenditure on research and other scientific work and on fishery protection. In 1989–90 the United Kingdom fisheries departments expect to spend £15·1 million on sea fisheries research and scientific investigation and £18·7 million on fisheries protection, including aerial surveillance.
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has as to the number of prosecutions in each European Community country in the latest year for which figures are available for (a) fishing with incorrectly sized nets and (b) overfishing.
[holding answer 19 January]: The information is not available in the form requested. However, the following tables show infringements of EC fisheries legislation which member states have reported to the Commission under regulation 3561/85 as having been brought before the relevant national courts:
| Fishing with illegal gear | |
| 1988 | |
| Belgium | 6 |
| Denmark | 11 |
| West Germany | 4 |
| France | 174 |
| Ireland | 4 |
| Netherlands | 25 |
| Portugal | 3 |
| United Kingdom | 38 |
| Spain | — |
| Illegal catch (resulting from direct fishery or by catch) | |
| 1988 | |
| Belgium | — |
| Denmark | 77 |
| West Germany | — |
| France | 12 |
| Ireland | 10 |
| Netherlands | 121 |
| Portugal | — |
| United Kingdom | 13 |
| Spain | — |