Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 86: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the status of the lost at sea compensation scheme; the amount of compensation awarded to date under the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6717/06]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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Subject to specified criteria, a scheme to allow the capacity of a fishing vessel lost at sea before the coming into operation of the sea-fishing boat register to be accepted as replacement capacity, was launched in June 2001. The closing date for applications under the scheme was 31 December 2001.

It is incorrect to describe the scheme as a compensation scheme. It was not intended to and did not compensate qualifying applicants for the loss of life or of fishing vessels. Its purpose was to enable qualifying applicants, who were otherwise unable to do so for financial or related reasons, to provide replacement capacity for the purposes of introducing a replacement vessel to continue a family tradition of sea-fishing. The scheme did not provide financial support for the acquisition of a fishing vessel itself.

All applications received under the scheme were assessed and decisions made were communicated to the applicants. Some 68 applications were received and six were successful. The amount of capacity made available was based on the capacity of the lost vessel which was the subject of the application. There was no specified limit on the amount of capacity available for allocation under the scheme but the introduction of the scheme took into account the requirement that Ireland was required to keep within EU limits on the size of national fishing fleets. The total amount of replacement capacity made available to the six successful applicants was 283.7 gross tonnes and 1071.01 kilowatts.