I propose to take Questions Nos. 264 and 265 together.
The VAT rating of goods and services is subject to the requirements of EU VAT law, with which Irish VAT law must comply. While we can maintain the zero rating on those goods and services which were zero-rated before 1 January 1991, the goods and services referred to by the Deputy do not fall within this category. Similarly, member states may only apply a reduced VAT rate to those goods and services set out in annexe H of the EU Sixth VAT Directive. Safety equipment is not included in this annexe. Therefore, it is not possible to apply a zero or reduced VAT rate to these goods and services.
However, fishermen who are registered for VAT are entitled to claim a refund for all VAT charged to them in respect of equipment used for their business. Fishermen who are not registered for VAT are entitled to claim in respect of certain inputs, under section 29, regarding remission or repayment of tax on fishing vessels and equipment, of the 1979 VAT regulations. In the case of safety equipment, the inputs included are anchors, autopilots, bilge and deck pumps, buoys, floats, compasses, life boats and life rafts, marine lights, radar apparatus, radio navigational aid apparatus, radio telephones, provided the vessel concerned has been the subject of a grant or loan from Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
In addition, the Value-Added Tax (Refund of Tax)(No. 18) Order 1985 provides for the repayment of VAT, subject to certain conditions, incurred in respect of equipment for use in rescue or assistance at sea. Furthermore, the 1973 Finance Act provided for the zero-rating of "life saving services provided by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, including the organisation and maintenance of the lifeboat service". This means that while the RNLI does not charge VAT on the services it provides, it is entitled to reclaim VAT incurred on the goods and services which it purchases in delivering those services.
The Irish Coast Guard, under the aegis of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, administers the community Inland and inshore rescue services grant scheme. The Community of Inshore Rescue Services and the Inland Rescue Service may apply for grants under the scheme in respect of both current and, more recently, capital expenditures. Guidelines on the scheme in terms of eligibility criteria and grant levels are available from the Irish Coast Guard.