Jim O'Keeffe
Question:13 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for the Marine the measures, if any, he proposes to take to modernise and upgrade our white fish fleet. [13954/97]
Written Answers - Fishing Fleet Modernisation.
Seán Barrett
Question:16 Mr. Barrett asked the Minister for the Marine if he will be providing additional funding in 1997 for the modernisation of the white fish fleet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13999/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 16 together.
A key priority in the Government's Action Programme for the Millennium, is to seek to upgrade our fishing fleet and to make the industry attractive to providers of capital by examining the provision of tax breaks and subsidised loans. As I have already confirmed to the industry, my priority is to make immediate progress on the renewal of the white fish fleet for safety and economic reasons, in line with available fishing opportunities.
I have decided, therefore, as a first step to press ahead with the introduction of a pilot grant scheme to support investment in a number of new white fish boats in order to test the viability of such vessels. I have instructed the Department and BIM to speed up the work of drawing up the necessary guidelines and conditions with a view to early clearance by the EU Commission and its implementation as quickly as possible.
I am also pursuing the necessary additional EU and Exchequer funding for the scheme.
In addition to testing the waters with the pilot grant scheme, I have also asked the Department to examine urgently the scope for tax breaks and other financial incentives to make investment in our fishing fleet more attractive to providers of capital. This will be done in full consultation with the industry itself with a view to bringing forward proposals within a very short timeframe for consideration in the context of the budget for 1998.
In addition, under the Operational Programme for Fisheries we will continue to provide funding for the modernisation of existing boats within the fishing fleet. I intend to ensure that this funding continues to support essential investment aimed at delivering on the objectives of improving the quality, efficiency and safety of the fleet as a whole. There has been good take-up to date with a significant number of applications in the system at present. I expect to be in a position to announce a new round of modernisation grants in the early autumn.