§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Government will make a decision on granting compensation to former distant water trawlermen; and if he will make a statement. [130549]
§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will make an announcement about the compensation scheme for those distant water trawlermen who lost their jobs with the closure of Icelandic fishing. [132304]
§ Shona McIsaacTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will provide compensation for former fishermen who lost their livelihoods following the settlement of the Cod Wars with Iceland in the 1970s. [132249]
§ Mrs. HumbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will publish a response to the claim for compensation from former distant water trawlermen. [132476]
§ Mr. DoranTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will provide compensation for former distant water trawlermen who lost their livelihoods following the settlement of the cod wars with Iceland in the 1970s. [133787]
§ Mr. Byers[holding answer 17 July 2000]: The Government recognise that the former Icelandic distant water trawlermen suffered an injustice. Many lost their jobs through the settlement of the 'Cod Wars' by the then Government and received little or no help. Given the exceptional circumstances in which they lacked basic employment protection we intend to remedy this by establishing a new scheme of compensation to be administered by my Department's Redundancy Payment Service.
Further details of the scheme and when and where claim forms will be available are to be announced before it is formally opened on 2 October.
Any former Icelandic distant water trawlermen who left the industry between 1974 and 1979 and had two years' continuous service, not necessarily with the same employer, will be entitled to claim under the new scheme. Surviving dependants will also be entitled to claim in 1088W cases where former fishermen who would have been eligible are now deceased. Once the scheme is opened, a period of around two years will be allowed for claims to be submitted.
Eligible claimants will receive £1,000 per year at sea, subject to a maximum of £20,000.
Sums received by former distant water trawlermen under ex-gratia redundancy payments arrangements operated by the Government between 1993 and 1995 will be offset against payments under the new scheme.
§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many trawlermen were made redundant in(a) 1974, (b) 1975 and (c) 1976 when British fishing boats stopped fishing as a result of withdrawal of British boats from Icelandic waters. [132818]
§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what compensation proposals for trawlermen who lost their livelihood when British boats stopped fishing in Icelandic waters were put to his Department by the British Fishermen's Association. [132821]
§ Mr. Byers[holding answer 27 July 2000]: The British Fishermen's Association has proposed that compensation payments made to former Icelandic water trawlermen should be calculated on the basis of £1,000 for each year at sea with a maximum of 20 years' service taken into account; that any amounts paid to claimants under the ex-gratia redundancy payment arrangements operated by the Government between 1993 and 1995 should be offset; that the next of kin should be eligible to claim in any case where a former trawlerman is now deceased; and that there should be an independent review where any claims are disallowed.