Vol. 442 No. 4
1 Mr. Bradford asked the Minister for the Marine if he will give details of the proposed £5 million compensation package; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the majority of people affected by the crisis in the industry will not benefit from the scheme.
43 Mr. Bradford asked the Minister for the Marine if he will give details of the proposed £5 million compensation package; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the majority of people affected by the crisis in the industry will not benefit from the scheme.
57 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for the Marine the estimated number of days lost to the Irish fishing fleet because of poor weather during the past six months; if he has any information on the level of catches recorded over the last six months; the way in which this compares with the the same period in 1993; if he will give details of the proposed aid package for the fishing fleet in view of the losses incurred by vessels as a result of weather conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1, 43 and 57 together.
As Deputies will be aware, last winter saw a period of particularly bad weather which had a severe effect on the Irish fishing industry. A report presented to me by BIM indicated that the number of bad weather days during the months of November to January had increased from 37 in 1992-93 to 43 in 1993-94. Given that 1992-93 was also a poor year in terms of bad weather, a more realistic comparison would be with the winter of 1991-92, when the number of bad weather days between November and January was 16.
The BIM report also indicated that the value of landings for the period November 1993 to January 1994 by the whitefish fleet was down by 30 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 1992-93, and by 40 per cent compared to 1991-92. I am aware that the poor weather persisted into February and March of this year and I am continuing to monitor the situation.
It was against this background that I recently announced the details of an aid scheme to alleviate the hardship that had been caused in the fishing industry. While the total amount of aid will ultimately depend on the take-up by the industry, up to £5 million has been provisionally earmarked for the scheme.
As I explained to the House on 20 April, the scheme will be administered by BIM and will focus in particular on relieving the hardship suffered by owners and crews of boats that were restricted from undertaking normal winter fishing activity because of the extreme weather. In determining hardship, the scheme will also take account, as appropriate, of the loan servicing difficulties of boats that had been inactive due to the bad weather. In addition, a limited assistance will be made available to shellfish fishermen towards the replacement of gear lost or damaged. Payments to crews will be based broadly on the rate of support available under social welfare unemployment schemes.
I am satisfied that all fishermen who have been affected by the extreme weather will be eligible for aid under this scheme and, therefore, totally reject Deputy Bradford's suggestion to the contrary. As I indicated, aid will be available to crews as well as boat owners. In addition, fishermen from all areas will be eligible for aid subject to the criteria I have set out. The scheme is an indication of the Government's underlying commitment to the fishing industry and its desire to react positively to the difficulties confronting it. This is the first time a scheme of this nature has been put in place by any Government.
I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply and concede that this is the first time such a scheme has been put in place. However, the weather has been so bad in recent months that some aid had to be given to coastal communities if boat owners and fishermen were to remain in operation. I am glad to learn that the aid will not simply be confined to boat owners. Will the Minister outline the criteria under which skippers who do not own boats, deckhands and other crew members will be able to qualify for aid? Under the social welfare code some of these people qualify for limited assistance. Will this assistance be taken into account in determining eligibility for aid?
Having indicated in the public domain my intention to introduce an aid package, Deputy Deasy subsequently raised the matter in the House. Eligibility for aid will be determined by reference to substantial losses of income from landings as a result of the bad weather vis-à-vis the corresponding periods for the previous two years. Claims must be supported by log sheets, sailing notes, losses-difficulties which are significant in the context of the total annual income-outgoings of the boat and any other payments or incomes received by the applicant from other sources, for example, the Department of Social Welfare.
The payments will be determined on the basis of the circumstances in each case. I would like to think — it has been suggested otherwise — that the aid package will be administered urgently and efficiently. I would also like to think that any applicant who thinks that his or her application has not been dealt with fairly by BIM will be able to make an appeal to the Minister. In any event, I hope there will not be too many appeals.
Thankfully the Minister envisages that the aid package will be fairly widespread. However, funding will remain a problem. While I welcome the £5 million compensation package, does the Minister's request to the EU for £10 million for this purpose indicate that he does not think that the aid package is sufficient? When the matter was raised in the House three or four weeks ago it was pointed out that the IFO and other fishermen organisations had sought £13 million in aid. The Minister said in reply that that figure had been plucked out of the air. Detailed records for the past few years indicate that the figure of £13 million was a reasonable estimate of the losses suffered by fishermen——
Brevity, please.
——and that this amount would be necessary to respond to the crisis. While I welcome the £5 million aid package, is it a sufficient response?
This is a new aid package, to which the Minister for Finance generously agreed. Organisations other than the IFO felt that the figure of £5 million was reasonable. This is a very fair response to a serious problem. The weather in recent months has been horrendous and when I was in the west at Easter I saw the difficulties under which fishermen are operating. For those and other socially just reasons the Government in its wisdom supported this package. The total amount of aid will ultimately depend on the take up by the industry. Based on the information available about the extent of the hardship being experienced by fishermen I am satisfied that the aid package of £5 million will be sufficient to compensate those fishermen whose livelihoods have been affected by the bad weather.
I wish to put on the record the position in regard to tax clearance. Normal Government tax clearance procedures require that any applicant receiving a payment of between £500 and £5,000 must indicate their tax district, furnish their tax reference number and indicate that their tax affairs are in order. Any applicant receiving a payment in excess of £5,000 is required to furnish a current tax clearance certificate issued by the Revenue Commissioners.
