§ Mr. Warrenasked the Secretary of State for Trade why the charges for the survey of inshore fishing vessels made by his Department are about four times the cost of the same survey, if it was made by a professional surveyor in private practice; and if he will use the cheaper services available.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisFees charged for departmental surveys of inshore fishing vessels have been calculated so as to recover as precisely as possible the cost to the Government of providing the service. I have no evidence to support the assumption that for identical surveys by similarly qualified professional surveyors in private practice the cost to owners would be cheaper. In any event I would not be prepared to delegate responsibility for statutory safety surveys to private practitioners.
§ Mr. Warrenasked the Secretary of State for Trade if the inshore fishing boat survey regulations applying to vessels operating in the Sussex Sea Fisheries District are the same as those applying to similar boats working in the Thames Estuary.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisThe survey requirements of the Fishing Vessels (Safety Provisions) Rules 1975 (S.I. No. 330/1975) apply to every mechanically-propelled seagoing fishing vessel of 12 metres in length and over registered in the United Kingdom. "Seagoing" means proceeding outside the limits of smooth water or partially smooth water areas and those vessels operating in the Thames Estuary which do not proceed outside these limits are not subject to the survey requirements. Smooth or partially smooth water areas along the Sussex coast are very restricted, but the same considerations apply.