§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the cost to each fisherman of installing satellite surveillance equipment on over 24 metre vessels; and what plans he has to provide grants towards their costs. [80432]
§ Mr. MorleyThe cost of installing new satellite monitoring equipment is likely to range from £3,000 to £8,000 depending on functionality and compliance with Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) requirements. Some vessels may already carry equipment that can be adapted at a lower cost. Following the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review,222W the Government announced on 3 August last year that vessels subject to satellite monitoring would not receive Government assistance for their equipment.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the costs to(a) his Department of inspecting and (b) fishermen of filling in a logsheet and landing declaration. [80430]
§ Mr. MorleyInformation on the costs of inspecting logsheets is not readily available since such inspections form part of the wider enforcement duties undertaken by the Ministry's Sea Fisheries Inspectorate and the Royal Navy's Fishery Protection Squadron.
EU logsheets on fishing activity have to be brought up to date at least once every 24 hours and this should not entail any additional cost whilst the vessel is at sea. The average cost of submitting a logsheet at the end of a fishing trip is estimated at £2.80 and that for completing and submitting a landing declaration at £4.20 per trip.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the cost of an inspection by his Department of a fishing vessel(a) in port and (b) at sea.[80429]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Ministry's Sea Fisheries Inspectorate undertake a wide range of enforcement and other duties, including inspections of fishing vessels in port. In 1998, the direct cost of running the SFI was some £3 million and in that period it undertook some 4,271 inspections of fishing vessels in port.
Inspections at sea are undertaken by the Royal Navy's Fishery Protection Squadron on behalf of the Ministry. In 1998, the Squadron provided 1,081 patrol days at a cost of some £6 million and during that period undertook 1,828 inspections.