asked the Minister for the Marine whether any vessels decommissioned in France under the scrapping grant have been registered here.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Registration of Vessels.
9.
I am not aware of any vessel decommissioned in France and benefiting from the EC scrapping grant being registered in this country.
However, as a precautionary measure, my Department insist that each application for a sea-fishing boat licence in respect of vessels entering the Irish fleet from another member state is accompanied by a letter from the competent national authority certifying that the previous owner of the boat in question has not benefited from an EC-funded scrapping grant.
Apart from the letter from the previous owner which must accompany the vessel, what other controls are in place? It is the view of many fishermen in the industry that such vessels are being re-registered in this country. I do not have to remind the Minister that with the general tension in relation to our GRT and quota problems the continuation of anything like this would exacerbate the situation terribly. Do we depend solely on that letter as our control mechanism?
The Deputy raised a point about particular decommissioning taking place in France. I can assure her that France operates a very limited scheme for small boats in the Mediterranean and it is most unlikely that any of those boats would find their way into our fishing fleet. The Community operates very strict regulations governing the disposal, temporary lay-up and scrapping of boats under that scheme. There are two sets of safeguards, those which we operate and those which the Community operates.
I am trying to ascertain what safeguards we apply here. The Minister's answer that to the best of his knowledge this is not happening does not match the information I am receiving from fishermen.
I am not responsible for any information received by the Deputy.
I accept that.
We insist on documentary evidence from the competent member state that no scrapping grant has been paid on these boats before we entertain them here.