§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) on how many(a) occasions and (b) total days, at what cost and leasing income per day, and to whom the vessel Lough Foyle has been leased since it came into the possession of the Northern Ireland authorities;
(2) whether the leasing of the vessel Lough Foyle has shown a profit or loss.
§ Mr. Peter Bottomley[holding answer 27 February 1990]: The objective of leasing the Lough Foyle is to offset the costs associated with ownership and crewing during periods when it is not required for research by the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland.
The MV Lough Foyle has been chartered on nine occasions involving 93 days since the vessel came into the possession of the Northern Ireland authorities. Lessees have been the Scottish Marine Biological Association, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland and the Department of the Marine, Republic of Ireland.
The average daily full economic cost of operating the vessel while at sea to the Department is currently £1,500.
The total leasing income to date has been £93,826.15.