To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Taiwanese authorities regarding drift-net fishing; and if he will make it his policy to ban all Taiwanese fishing in waters for which Britain is responsible until the Taiwanese end the use of drift-nets.

We have no dealings with the authorities in Taiwan. We welcomed the decision of the authorities in Taiwan in September last year to comply in principle with the resolution on large-scale pelagic drift net fishing adopted by the 44th General Assembly of the United Nations. We also welcomed the additional measures undertaken by the authorities in Taiwan such as a ban on the building of new drift net vessels and a ban on the operation of drift net fishing in the Atlantic. We do not propose to take action against Taiwan fishing vessels.