Fishing Industry (Hansard, 8 November 1983)

§ Mr. MacGregor

[pursuant to his reply, 4 November 1983, c. 471]: Following agreement on structures in the Council of Ministers last month we are now able to proceed with the preparation for the introduction of schemes for grants for decommissioning and laying up vessels and to provide for support for exploratory voyages and joint ventures with certain third party countries. An announcement about the details of these new schemes will be made as soon as possible after the necessary preparatory work, including discussion with the industry and the Commission, has been completed.

Meanwhile, parliamentary approval is being sought in the Winter Supplementary Estimates for expenditure of £4 million to provide for the payment of decommissioning grants to owners of fishing vessels in the current financial year, so that following approval of the Estimates payment of such grants can commence as soon as the details of the schemes have been agreed and implementing legislation has been laid.

The proposed £4 million will be distributed as follows: £3,230,000—to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to meet expenditure arising in both England and Northern Ireland; £600,000—to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland; £170,000—to the Welsh Office.

The cash limit for Class III Vote 5—MAFF—will be increased by £2,005,000, from £26,203,000 to £28,208,000; and the cash limit for Class XV Vote 2—DAFS — will be increased by £600,000 from £57,943,000 to £58,543,000. In the case of Class III Vote 5, the addition of £3,230,000 for decommissioning grants is being partly offset by savings on other services in the Vote totalling £1,225,000. Otherwise the additions are being met from within the existing public expenditure survey provision for fisheries, and will therefore not add to the planning total of public expenditure.

A separate announcement is being made about the change to the cash limit for Class XVI Vote 5—Welsh Office.