UK minister refuses to say if Douglas Alexander tried to reverse 'unfair' fishing fund
Dame Angela Eagle ignored a question about whether the Scottish Secretary had spoken to her about Scotland receiving just eight per cent of the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund.
A UK Government minister has refused to say whether Douglas Alexander urged her to reverse a “fundamentally unfair” fishing fund.
Fisheries minister Dame Angela Eagle ignored a question about whether the Scottish Secretary had spoken to her about Scotland receiving just eight per cent of the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund.
This is despite Scotland landing more than 60 per cent of the UK’s fish.
Scotland is getting just £28 million of the £360m fund - with more than £300m going to England.
The decision was blasted by MPs of all parties in the House of Commons on Thursday morning.
SNP MP for Argyll and Bute Brendan O’Hara asked Dame Angela during an Urgent Question on the issue: “Having barely survived the disaster of Brexit, this latest decision by the UK Government is another kick in the teeth to those fishing communities.
“We are all agreed that this formula is fundamentally unfair.
“So can I ask the minister: did the Secretary of State for Scotland, at any point, come to her department and specifically urge her to reverse this decision? Yes or no?”
Dame Angela replied: “Following Brexit since leaving the EU... the UK received an uplift in fishing quota. 65 per cent of that went to Scotland.
“On 2024 figures that was worth £107m. So I think Scotland’s got a reasonable deal.”
MPs from all parties - including Labour - said the funding should be reviewed.
Labour MP for the Western Isles Torcuil Crichton said: “I think there is a question of fairness of geographical distribution and I think the minister should consider that.
“I hope the funding will be reviewed in due course.”
Lib Dem MP for Orkney and Shetland Alistair Carmichael said: “If the minister is sincere when she says that the aim of the Government is to maximise local investment, then to use the Barnett Formula to distribute this is ocean-going madness.
“By volume and by value, Shetland alone accounts for nine per cent of the fish landed in this country but Scotland as a whole will get only eight per cent.
“So when will this funding formula be reviewed?”
Tory MP for Gordon and Buchan Harriet Cross said: “Scotland lands three quarters of the tonnage of fish in the UK and 60 per cent of the value of UK fishing comes into Scotland.
“Yet of this £360m fund, Scottish fishermen are only going to get £28m - 7.7 per cent.
“Does it really make sense to the minister that Scotland only gets eight per cent of a fund when they’re bringing in so much of the value of fishing?
“And if it doesn’t make sense, what is she going to do about it?”
SNP MP for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East Seamus Logan - who obtained the Urgent Question - said: “Boris Johnson used the fishing industry in his reckless Brexit campaign and then betrayed them afterwards.
“And now this Government has done the same thing by reserving more than £300m for English coastal communities over the next 12 years while handing us pocket money.
“Despite Scotland representing more than 60 per cent of fishing capacity, despite landing almost 50 per cent of the catch in these islands, despite more than 75 per cent of species caught landed by Scottish vessels, we are offered a mere 7.78 per cent of the fund.”
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