I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 43 together.
As Deputies will be aware, an emergency aid scheme was introduced last April principally to compensate fishermen and boatowners for loss of earnings arising from prolonged bad weather during the previous winter. The scheme covered claims in respect of a 20 week period from November 1993 to March 1994.
A key objective of the scheme was to ensure that crew members who had suffered genuine hardship and who were not eligible for payments under social welfare schemes would be compensated for loss of earnings during the winter period. Payments to crew members were based broadly on what would have been the appropriate rate of support available under the social welfare unemployment schemes. These took account of such matters as family dependants, income from fishing and from other sources, and any social welfare payments received. The maximum payment that an individual crew member could receive was equivalent to what would have been his full entitlement under the social welfare system.
The total number of applications received from crew members under the scheme was 715, of which 187 were deemed ineligible for payment. To date a total of £495,000 has been paid in respect of 513 applications. A further £27,000 is expected to be paid to the remaining 15 applicants when additional information required to finalise their claims has been received.