Vol. 464 No. 4
32 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Marine the current position regarding his target to decommission 4,000 tonnes from the fishing fleet; and whether the targets set will be achieved within the allocated time frame. [7599/96]
136 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Marine if he will ensure parity for fishermen applying for decommissioning in areas governed by Bord Iascaigh Mhara in view of the fact that Northern Ireland registered trawlers receive substantially higher amounts of money for decommissioning in spite of common rules applying for EU member states. [7600/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 136 together.
Some 60 fishing vessel owners have applied for decommissioning premia under the national scheme established last year. The applications represent a total capacity of nearly 3,000 tonnes, and a good take up will assist in the achievement of our mandatory EU fleet targets by end 1996.
Even allowing for the relatively buoyant market for privately sold tonnage at present, it is expected that actual take up by approved applicants under the scheme will be largely in line with targets. The position will continue to be kept under close review by the Department and BIM up to the 31 May deadline for the actual decommissioning of boats and payment of grants.
The differential tonnage premia set under the scheme are in line with EU Regulation 3699/93 which requires member states to apply pro rata scales and rates of assistance which take into account the age of vessels. In deciding on the national rates account was also taken of available funding and of the relative market value of vessels in the various age categories.
While other EU member states may have operated different types of decommissioning schemes, such as the tendering scheme operated in Northern Ireland, the grants paid may vary between member states provided they remain within the ceiling and reflect the age differentials prescribed in the EU regulation.
