The management regime agreed for deep water species is set out, in detail, in Council Document SN 2746/02 (PECHE) which has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 22207).It introduces a system of Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and quotas for certain species (black scabbardfish, blue ling, greater silver smelt, ling, orange roughy, red seabream, roundnose grenadier and tusk) in certain areas. It also introduces a licensing scheme for vessels landing further types of deep water species. However, not all the species covered by the TACs and quotas regulation are also covered by the licensing regulation (for example, ling and tusk are not included). Vessels which retain, tranship or land 100kg or more of the designated species in any one sea trip must hold a license, fulfil reporting requirements and land at designated ports.The details of how quota and licences will be allocated within the UK remain to be discussed and decided once the remaining technical details have been finalised by the Council Management Committee.The EC management regime will be reviewed in 2005. Levels of TAC (set initially for two years) may be reviewed annually in the light of new scientific advice.

Scientific advice issued by International Council for the Exploration for the Sea in 2000 and revised in early June of this year indicated that many deep-water species were at risk of depletion and made a strong case for substantial reductions in fishing effort. The advice received is expressed in terms of reductions in overall fishing mortality and is not specific to Scottish fishing vessels. UK scientists concurred with this advice, emphasising the importance of early regulation to protect stocks. In our view the regime now adopted by the Council of Ministers is not in accordance with the scientific advice.

Agreement was reached with Aberdeenshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) at the turn of the year that I would meet with the DAAT and visit local drug agencies during the Parliament's presence in Aberdeen at the end of May. Arrangements had to be revised due to unforeseen parliamentary commitments on Tuesday 28 May (the Queen's Address and a member's debate on drug misuse in the North East of Scotland). The visit to the DAAT went ahead on Wednesday 29 May and Mary Mulligan, Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, also attended.The First Minister and I visited a local drugs project on the same day, the arrangements for which were made the previous day. I also formally opened the Drug Treatment and Testing Order Office in the Gallowgate, Aberdeen on Wednesday 29 May. This was arranged in mid-May.I unfortunately had to cancel, at short notice, two visits in my programme to Turning Point, Peterhead and the Kenmay Drug Project. This was due to my being called away on business related to the parliamentary debate on drug misuse in North East Scotland.

An animal disease surveillance strategy is currently being developed and will be put to stakeholder consultation later this year. Before that strategy has been produced it would be premature to consider any changes to the current level of surveillance facilities.

For financial years 2001-02, 2000-01 and 1999-2000 the figures are respectively £2.0787 million, £1.775 million and £1.2977 million. The projected budget for 2002-03 is £2.107 million.Budget allocations for 2003-04 and 2004-05 have not yet been made.

The information requested is not held centrally.

At the meeting of the Council of Ministers on 11 June, it was decided that total allowable catches will be adopted for some deep sea species. It was also agreed that a permit system should be introduced for vessels landing deep sea species. Some details of the permit arrangements, based on technical information, remain to be settled in the Management Committee. These include the amounts of deep water species, per trip and per year, that vessels ought to be allowed to catch and retain on board, tranship or load, without having to have a permit. The UK will participate fully in these discussions, as well as preparing to return to the substantive issues in the review of the management of deep-water species envisaged for 2005.

No.

The Commission's proposals for the management of the deep water fishery involved both total allowable catches and licensing (effort control). On 6 June, the Council Secretariat circulated the Spanish Presidency compromise proposal for discussion at the Council on 11 June. This also included both elements. On 10 June, Commissioner Fischler said publicly in London that he would not support the Presidency's compromise. On 11 June, during the Council meeting, the Presidency produced a further compromise proposal containing minor changes. The Commission decided to support this further compromise. The Commissioner did not give us any forewarning, though of course the UK was always aware that Commission support for a compromise solution could enable that solution to be adopted by qualified majority. The UK maintained its opposition because we did not think the changes made the proposal any less unacceptable.

Whether the Council working group meetings are determined as continued meetings or separate meetings depends upon the meeting in question. If a meeting runs over two days and deals with the same topic on both days it would be considered to be the same meeting. However, in other cases different meetings on consecutive days come under the same generic topic but could actually be different working groups on each day (or indeed on the same day). These would be considered to be separate meetings.