§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many fishing vessels that were ejected from the register in 1988 are eligible to reapply and how many are not; what gross registered tonnage these vessels represent; and what kilowatts of power they have; [30579]
(2) under what circumstances fishing vessels ejected from the register in 1988 may be reinstated; and if, following reinstatement, they are eligible for licences to fish for United Kingdom quotas. [30580]
§ Mr. BaldryFishing vessels refused registration under the nationality provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act 1988 can be admitted to the British register only if they meet the current registration eligibility requirements. In order to be eligible owners must be:
- (a) British citizens or persons who are nationals of a member state other than the United Kingdom and are established, within the meaning of article 52 of the EEC treaty, in the United Kingdom;
- (b) bodies corporate incorporated in a member state with a place of business in the United Kingdom;
- (c) European economic interest groupings, which are groupings formed in pursuance of article 1 of Council regulation (EEC) No. 2137/85 and registered in the United Kingdom;
437 - (d) a local authority in the United Kingdom.
Reinstated vessels are granted licences only if they held one prior to deregistration and it has not been used to licence another vessel in the meantime. If the licence has been used in this way, owners of reinstated vessels can obtain licences to fish only by transfer from other licensed vessels. Tonnage and engine power figures for vessels refused registration in 1989 are not readily available.