Parliament has now returned from the Easter Recess. In the last week, among other things, I was pleased to meet with Cornwall Council in St Austell town centre about anti-social behaviour, meet with a local company near Newquay about renewable energies, get an update from the team delivering the A30 Link Road to St Austell, and spend time on the doors talking to people about the local and national issues that matter to them in communities across our constituency. Whilst in Roche I visited the Clays Health Centre and met with some of the doctors and staff there. It was good to get an update on their work and I have come away with a few issues to work on, on their behalf. On Thursday I spent time meeting with fishermen in Mevagissey following the Government’s decision to provide compensation to fishermen most affected by the by the zero total allowable catch decision on pollack, which was recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas last year.
I have worked hard, along with my Cornish MP colleagues, to
get the Government to provide support for these fishermen, many of whom are
based in Mevagissey or Newquay, since I first heard about the upcoming changes and
met with the fishermen in November last year. The fishermen were very clear then
that the thing they would most welcome would be a compensation scheme. This is
because the changes were brought in at short notice, and fishermen did not have
the time or resources to be able to adapt their way of working to go after
different fish, and as such they were essentially left without a way to make a
living - so seeking compensation to
address this was a sensible way forward.
Since I met with the fishermen I have worked with them and
the organisations that support them to gather evidence to make the case for
compensation. I met with the DEFRA Ministerial team on many occasions, asked
questions in Parliament and held a debate on the subject in February.
There was resistance to a compensation scheme from civil
servants, essentially because this is a unique situation and has never happened
before. However the Environment
Secretary has listened and taken action, recognising the issues faced by the
affected fishermen and has used the powers available to him to effectively
override the civil servants.
I'd particularly like to thank the fishermen from these
communities and everyone who contacted me for working constructively with me to
help make the case for this support. This shows the Government is on the side
of Cornish fishermen and I am pleased to have played a part in them reaching
this decision.
The compensation scheme is very welcome, but it is only the
first step, and what we must do next is look at restoring a sustainable pollack
fishery, as I highlighted in my debate in February. The Government is working
with the fishermen, who know most about their catch, to get the scientific
evidence to do this, and I will be working with local fishermen and industry
representatives to make this happen as soon as possible.
As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office
is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726
829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk
