---

Fishing Industry: Government Support

It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Alec.

I am very grateful to the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East (Seamus Logan) for the timely opportunity to take part in my first fisheries debate and to set out the priority I place on this industry. I congratulate him on the timing of this debate; I assume that he is not an England football fan.

In addition, I welcome the two new Members—the hon. Members for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry (Lara Bird) and for Aberdeen South (Douglas Lumsden)—and I congratulate them on contributing so successfully this afternoon.

Having proudly grown up in a coastal community and now representing a constituency that has a small fishing port, as well as having a father who regularly took me sea fishing, I am delighted to have been appointed as the new fisheries Minister. I am excited to have the chance to support the fishing industry and help it to adapt to the opportunities and challenges ahead.

The hon. Member for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East made a number of specific points, and I assure him early in my speech that I am very happy to write to him on the specifics.

As ever, the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) made some helpful points on immigration policy and visas. He will recognise that such matters are for the Home Office to comment on. However, I can assure him this afternoon that my Department is in regular conversation with counterparts in the Home Office about the concerns that the industry and Members have raised today. I have already met my equivalent fisheries Minister in Northern Ireland. The hon. Member will know the seriousness that I place on my relationship with colleagues in Northern Ireland, and I assure him that I will do the same in my new ministerial role.

Fishing is not just an industry, and fishermen are not just businessmen; they and their industry are economically, socially and culturally important to the vitality of many coastal communities across the United Kingdom. Before I go further, it is customary to pay tribute to those in the fishing community who have been injured or have tragically lost their lives in what can be a very dangerous industry. On Sunday, I attended a memorial for seafarers, and my thoughts are with all those who have been injured or have tragically lost their lives at sea. We must not lose sight of the fact that fishing communities contend with really tough and dangerous working conditions. The work to improve safety across the industry remains essential, and I welcome the efforts from the industry and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to drive progress in this important area.

Our fishing fleets across the UK are incredibly diverse, as we have heard, from small day boats in my Portsmouth South constituency to the large trawlers in the constituency of the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East. Across our nation, each and every one of those vessels, their crew and those supporting them on shore work hard to support our food security and provide jobs in our coastal communities.

UK seafood is in high demand, with a world-class reputation for quality. I am deeply proud to promote and support a thriving, sustainable fishing sector. I have heard from representatives of the UK fishing industry about the work that goes into getting our revered British seafood from net to plate. I met the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation this week, and it gave me valuable insights into the opportunities presented to the fishing industry and the solutions to some of the challenges.