§ Mr. FoulkesTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the draft safety regulations for fishing boats under 12 m in length to be brought into force; in what form they will be brought before the House; what financial help will be made available for boat owners to enable them to comply with these regulations; and if he will make a statement. [13452]
§ Mr. Bowis[holding answer 30 January 1997]: I have asked the chief executive of the Marine Safety Agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from R. M. Bradley to Mr. George Foulkes, dated February 1997:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your Question about the proposed safety regulations for fishing vessels less than 12 metres in length.Since I wrote to you on 3 December 1996, the draft Code of Safe Practice for Registered Fishing Vessels Less Than 12 Metres Length has been approved by the Code Steering Committee and has been endorsed by the Fishing Industry Safety Group.It is hoped that public consultation on the draft Code and on its supporting legislation will take place within the next two months and that publication of the Code will follow shortly thereafter. Owners and skippers will have time to become familiar with the Code requirements and recommendations prior to its enforcement. It is expected that a Statutory Instrument to bring the Code into force will be presented to Parliament early in 1998.With regard to financial help to vessel owners, grant aid is a question entirely for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and I understand that MAFF Ministers will be considering this matter in the light of responses to the consultation exercise and once responses to that exercise have been analysed.