Vol. 454 No. 8
24 Mr. Molloy asked the Minister for the Marine the total amount paid to crew members under the emergency aid scheme introduced in April 1994, to deal with the hardship and losses arising from prolonged bad weather during the previous winter; the average payment; the total amount paid to boat owners; and the average payment for the most recent date for which figures are available. [11499/95]
All eligible claims for assistance under the emergency aid scheme have now been processed by BIM and total payments made to crewmen and boat owners amount to just over £3 million.
This figure breaks down as follows: just under £510,000 was paid to 536 crewmen in respect of loss of earnings. The average payment was £951 per crewman; just over £2 million was paid to 385 vessel owners in respect of loss of earnings. The average payment was £5,239 per vessel owner; just under £481,000 was paid to the owners of 166 vessels in respect of loss of static fishing gear. The average payment was £2,897 per vessel owner.
This is an important question and I hope to ask supplementaries.
I allowed this question to facilitate the Deputy.
I appreciate that.
As it is after the time allocated I ask him to cooperate with me.
Is it true that the payment of compensation for loss of earnings to crew members of fishing vessels arising from the bad weather conditions experienced during November and March was limited to social welfare levels? The payments were quite small, £951, yet the bulk of the money was paid to vessel owners who received, on average, £5,000. What was the maximum payment to boat owners? Surely the scheme was introduced to compensate people for loss of earnings because of bad weather. Those who applied for dole did not receive any compensation, nor did those whose fishing income exceeded £2,070 for the five month period. It seemes a miserly way to compensate fishermen whose main income would have been gained during that time.
The Deputy's question is over-long.
Many of them had heavy financial commitments. It was not the original intention to confine payments to crew members to such a miserly sum.
Payments to crew members were based broadly on what would have been the rate of support available under the unemployment scheme.
If they signed on the dole they would have got the same amount.
These took account of such matters as family dependants, income from fishing and other sources and any social welfare payments received. The maximum payment an individual crew member could receive was equivalent to what would have been his full entitlement under the social welfare system. It was important to aid boat owners, to keep them in business and preserve jobs, including those of the crewmen. The figures may seem more favourable for vessel owners——
They are.
The jobs of the crewmen would have been lost if the boat owners did not survive in business. The scheme, which was introduced before we took office, was administered with as much flexibility as possible. The maximum amount paid to any single boat owner did not form part of the question and I do not have that information. However, if it is available I will get if for the Deputy.
