I propose to take Questions Nos. 416 to 421, inclusive, and 423 together.
Steering a New Course, the Strategy for a Restructured, Sustainable and Profitable Irish Seafood Industry 2007-13 (the Cawley Report) recommended a restructured fishing fleet, consistent with the sustainable exploitation of available resources and economic requirements of vessel owners and the shore-based industries dependent on it. The Cawley report recommended the voluntary removal of 35% of the capacity of the whitefish fleet to achieve this goal, building on the 10% which has already been removed through the 2005/06 decommissioning Scheme.
The Cawley report prioritised in the first instance a decommissioning scheme targeting the larger vessels (18 metres and over) in the whitefish fleet to deliver a basis for both stock recovery and long term viability. This scheme was launched in February 2008. Forty–six vessel owners have accepted decommissioning grants with a total of 6909 GT and 19,000 Kw being removed from the register. €21 million was spent on decommissioning in 2008 with a commitment of a further €15.6 million to be spent this year. 75% of this amount will be recouped from the EU. This level of decommissioning has delivered some 63% of that recommended in the Cawley report for this part of the fleet. It is important to note that the full €42m budget which had been made available for this voluntary decommissioning scheme was not taken up by fishermen.
The report also noted that a specific economic or social impact analysis should be carried out in relation to vessels under 18 metres to determine the eligibility, urgency scope and cost of carrying out a targeted decommissioning scheme for such vessels. The Seafood Strategy Implementation Group under the chair of Dr Noel Cawley is currently considering this matter. It is important that any decommissioning of vessels under 18 metres is targeted to take account of the overall strategy to achieve a balance between available resources and the fishing fleet as well as the impact of the current scheme.
Any new scheme of decommissioning going forward will be considered based on available recourses and their prioritisation.