It is a pity we have to waste the precious time of this House in so-called discussion on Mrs Fraga's report, which more closely resembles a call to reserve tuna fishing as the sole preserve of the Spanish fleet.

Yes, a waste of time and a pointless exercise, as are all debates in this House on the fishing industry, as long as we have a fisheries directorate within the Commission which does not have the courage or will to face up to what is going on in the fisheries sector.

The Spanish have found themselves a hobby-horse, the tuna industry, and they are flogging it for all it is worth. You cannot use driftnets, they cry at us, because they breach conservation laws. What a joke, coming from the Spaniards. Can anyone tell me the last time the Spanish fleet worried about conservation? Do hidden holds on Spanish ships, full of illegally caught fish, respect conservation? Do flags of convenience, or two ships sailing under the same name and with the same licence, respect conservation?

Tuna is not an endangered species. The by-catches have been found to be largely commercial. The problem of dolphins could be easily overcome with technology, but the Commission does not seem to want to hear about that. So what is this debate really about?

A report is to be presented today to Council of Fisheries Ministers on the crisis in the fisheries industry. We will hear proposals for tackling problems based on flawed data and inaccurate statistics. There will be a staunch refusal to acknowledge the problems of individual Member States such as Ireland, who need extraordinary measures to patrol their huge coastline, to refurbish an ageing fleet, and to obtain a fish quota which is realistically theirs. Reports such as my own, on the effect of seals on fisheries, of vital importance in the whole assessment of conservation of stocks, which was fully endorsed by Parliament, has not even been adopted by the Commission.

The latest measure to be announced by the Commission, to control fishing by means of days at sea, is one which has been based on an assessment of data presented by Spain based on quota/effort ratios. It is the only official data the Commission has worked from.

We must seriously question the Commission's intentions with regard to the future of EU fisheries, and ask them where their mish-mash of policies is leading. It is of very little consolation to those people trying to make a meagre living from fishing to know that the Commission is today discussing why the price of fish collapsed last year, when they know in their hearts that it could happen again this year and the year after if the Commission decides to stick with the same farce they call a common fisheries policy.

We have not seen very much from the Commission that even begins to restore some confidence that a future, credible fisheries strategy could emerge. And certainly, if select, politically-motivated reports such as this one before us today, espousing the vested interest of one Member State, gain any credence or endorsement from the Commission, we need no longer doubt where the true loyalty of this fisheries directorate and fisheries Commissioner lie.