Vol. 449 No. 5
115 Mr. Clohessy asked the Minister for the Marine whether any of the whitefish licensed vessels which were designated as all-weather vessels were granted payment under the emergency aid scheme for fishermen which was intended for those unable to go to sea in the harsh winter weather conditions of 1993 and 1994. [4055/95]
While the owners and crews of the vessels to which the Deputy refers have benefited under the emergency aid scheme it would be incorrect to assume that as a result other fishermen have received less by way of assistance than would otherwise have been the case. The total funding made available for the scheme was more than sufficient to provide assistance to all those whose income was affected by the severe weather conditions and who met the terms of the scheme.
I should also explain that while the vessels to which the Deputy refers have rightly been described as "all weather" boats, in extreme weather conditions of the sort which commonly occurred during the winter of 1993-94, any vessel attempting to fish would run a high risk and would have been likely to have lost nets and gear. In such conditions it would not have made commercial sense for these vessels to have gone to sea.
