§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of the moneys allocated to decommissioning fishing vessels in the current financial year has been taken up; how many tenders accepted by her Department have not been taken up; how much is left; and what she proposes to do with the remaining moneys.
§ Mr. JackAs explained in my reply to the hon. Member for Cornwall, South-East (Mr. Hicks) on 14 December, fishermen whose bids have been accepted will receive their grants provided they comply with the rules. Some vessel owners who were successful in the tender have since decided not to go ahead with decommissioning and there may be others who in the event do not submit valid claims. The final position will not be clear until the 1 March closing date for the submission of claims. Any shortfall in the extent of decommissioning flowing from this round will have to be taken into account in future decisions about how the United Kingdom is to meet the targets laid down in its multi-annual guidance programme, which provides that 55 per cent. of the total reduction has to be met by cuts in fishing capacity.
Currently a shortfall of about £¾ million is expected. In the context of the overall management of the Department's budgets I would expect that expenditure on any subsequent decommissioning schemes could be correspondingly adjusted. A total of £25 million remains available for expenditure on decommissioning in the present and future financial years.
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