§ 13. Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has made to the Belgian Navy about compensating Isle of Wight fishermen for damaged gear.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonSeveral representations have been made by my Department to the Belgian navy, via its defence attaché in London, in respect of one fisherman's claim for damaged gear.
§ Mr. FieldWill my hon. Friend review the arrangements for all NATO navies that operate inside United Kingdom territorial waters to compensate fishermen for damage to gear? The arrangements should be the same as for the Royal Navy. It came as a complete surprise to me and my constituents that a navy that is a member of NATO and operating in our home waters was not liable to pay compensation for damage to the gear of British fishermen.
§ Mr. HamiltonI assure my hon. Friend that if the navy had been on a NATO exercise, the claim would have been settled by the Ministry of Defence and a subsequent claim for 75 per cent. of the total would have been made to the Belgians. In the case to which my hon. Friend refers, it was not a NATO exercise. The Belgian navy was operating on its own. As my hon. Friend knows, the accident happened in March last year. It is for the Belgians to settle this claim, which has been going on for much too long. My Department will do everything that it can to hasten the settlement of this claim.