HC Deb 14 May 1996 vol 277 c437W
Mr. Salmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total value of grant aid awarded to Scottish fishermen under the Fishing Vessels (Improvement) (Grants) scheme in each year from 1990 to 1995, and the first quarter of 1996. [29175]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson

[holding answer 13 May 1996]: Scottish fishing vessels received a total of £4.95 million under the Fishing Vessels (Improvement) (Grants) schemes between 1990–91 and 1995–96. A breakdown of the expenditure per year is given in the table.

Year Amount paid (£)
1990–91 611,988
1991–92 263,290
1992–93 224,951
1993–94 935,580
1994–95 1,478,303
1995–96 1,437,155

Mr. Salmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the average length of time taken to process applications for grants awarded in Scotland under the provisions of the Fishing Vessels (Improvement) (Grants) scheme each year from 1990 to 1995. [29154]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson

[holding answer 13 May 1996]: The Sea Fish Industry Authority administers the Fishing Vessels (Improvement) (Grants) scheme on behalf of the Government. It does not keep detailed historical records of the time taken to deal with individual applications, but I understand that the average time taken to deal with an application, from receipt to formal approval, is estimated as four weeks.