Mr
John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab): To
ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to improve public access
to fishing on rivers.
The Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural
Development (Allan Wilson): The Executive's
partnership agreement contains a commitment to improve access to
watercourses for anglers and to remove prohibitive restrictions. Officials
are working with all interested parties to address that and other issues
relating to
freshwater fisheries management.
Mr Home Robertson: Does
the minister recall that, in April 2000, one of his predecessors — a pretty
radical kind of guy — launched some alarmingly radical proposals for the
improvement of public access to fishing on rivers? As the House of Lords is
no longer in a position to exercise a veto on behalf of landowners in
Scotland, will the minister seek an early opportunity to introduce
legislation in this session to maximise public access to licences to fish on
Scottish rivers?
Allan Wilson: Being a
radical kind of minister, I, too, welcome the diminishing influence of their
lordships and am pleased to be able to tell John Home Robertson and other
members that there is a provisional slot for a fisheries bill this session.
That will provide the means for repealing the Freshwater and Salmon
Fisheries (Scotland) Act 1976, which would be widely welcomed. We are in the
process of consulting on what we would wish to put in its place.
Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West) (Ind):
Does the minister agree that the best way in which to
improve public access would be to repeal the notorious 1976 act and to
replace it with legislation to set up a democratically constituted Scottish
anglers trust that would administer all freshwater fishing in Scotland?
In the meantime, will he reject any new applications
for protection orders under the 1976 act, in view of the fact that such
orders would more appropriately be called exclusion orders and given that
the underhand way in which the Scottish Executive dealt with the Assynt -
Coigach Area Protection Order 2004 (SSI 2004/260) has been severely
criticised not only by me but by the Subordinate Legislation Committee?
Allan Wilson: I dispute
that the order to which Mr Canavan refers was dealt with in an underhand
way. I would expand on my view if more time were available. While the
existing legislation remains in force, people remain entitled to make
applications and we are required to continue to deal with the applications
according to the requirements of the legislation. I inform the member that I
acted to ensure that the timescale of that protection order was set with
reference to our parliamentary timetable.
I recognise Mr Canavan's long-standing commitment to this subject over the
past 30 years or more and repeat the commitment that I gave to John Home
Robertson: we intend to repeal the Freshwater and Salmon Fisheries
(Scotland) Act 1976 and replace it with more modern mechanisms, which will
include the trusts to which the member refers. |
