Vol. 476 No. 4
1 Mr. Power asked the Minister for the Marine if he will support an EU co-funded insurance compensation scheme in order to address some of the huge losses being suffered by fishing communities in peripheral areas arising from extreme conditions. [7326/97]
I wish the Irish runners in the Cheltenham Gold Cup every success.
I fully share the Deputy's concern about the impact of last month's bad weather on the fishing industry and I understand the frustrations and difficulties which resulted from these weeks of relative inactivity. The situation is being closely monitored and, while weather conditions are currently good, the impact of another sustained period of bad weather would require further review. Any State aid for a national fishing fleet must be approved by the European Commission under the relevant EU legislation. The Commission is opposed to State aid to compensate for weather conditions and has previously confirmed that EU fisheries funding for exceptional events does not include bad weather.
The Commission opposed the national compensation scheme following the winter of 1993-4 and only accepted it because of the exceptional severity and duration of bad weather that winter and the fact that the aid was funded entirely by the Exchequer. The bad weather this winter has not been comparable to the severe conditions in 1993-4. It would not be appropriate or productive to approach the Commission at this stage on the basis of the meteorological evidence to date.
Meteorological Office statistics indicate that, apart from last month, the wind conditions to date this winter from November to March have not been as severe as in some other years. Overall, it appears that this winter was slightly better than average. While many vessels were tied up last month, the fishing conditions in December and January were better than normal for that time of year. The anticipated level of fishing effort during the coming weeks should assist fishermen in making up for the bad conditions experienced in February.
Has the Minister firmly ruled out negotiating compensation for fishermen? In his reply he stated that the situation would be kept under review. A very serious situation has developed and, while December and January were good, February will be remembered as one of the worst months fishermen have been obliged to endure for many years. I understand they have been losing approximately £9 million per week due to the bad weather. In the past, other sectors received compensation and I see no good reason that fishermen cannot also receive it.
Any action taken by my Department in this regard must be approved by the Commission. When compensation was provided in 1993-94 because of the exceptional severity and duration of the bad weather, it was entirely funded by the Exchequer. It would be unwise to approach the Commission for approval unless we had concrete evidence to show that conditions this year were exceptional in comparison with other years. I fully understand the concerns of fishermen whose vessels remained tied up because of bad weather. I will monitor the situation closely and reconsider taking action if the weather takes a turn for the worse. However, I would have to approach the Commission and make a case for exceptional circumstances.
Does the Minister accept that due to bad weather during February fishermen were losing £9 million per week? How bad must the situation become before the Minister will approach the Commission to seek approval?
With regard to the figure quoted by the Deputy, compared to other years statistics for landings in February do not indicate that a loss of £9 million is correct. However, I will investigate the figure and communicate with him on the matter. It is unwise to quote figures without first having concrete evidence.
In respect of the number of gale days per station, the indication is that while the weather was bad during February it was not exceptionally so when compared to previous years. Figures for the station in Dublin for February in successive years show that in 1991-2 and 1992-3 there were no gale days; in 1993-4 and 1994-5, there were two; in 1995-6, there were none; and in 1996-7, there were three.
Dublin is irrelevant.
The station at Malin Head recorded 13 gale days in 1991-92, three in 1992-93, 15 in 1993-94, 16 in 1994-95, ten in 1995-96 and 15 in 1996-97. While the weather was bad, the figures do not indicate that it was exceptionally bad. If other months are considered, the situation does not compare with previous years. I am not unsympathetic but, in order to make a case, exceptional circumstances must be shown, otherwise we would be in trouble with the Commission. Compensation would also have to be funded from our own limited resources.
