Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the timeframe and budget for the first phase of the new grant aid scheme to remove excess capacity from the whitefish fleet; and the extent of capacity reductions it is hoped to achieve. [14555/05]

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Details of this scheme, which forms part of the overall strategy for the sustainable development of the fishing industry as provided for in the National Development Plan 2000-2006, will be announced shortly and applications for participation will be sought over the coming weeks. It is intended that the first phase of the scheme will involve the removal of vessels from the fleet in 2005 and the early part of 2006. It is planned that the scheme will operate on the basis of a competitive tendering process and, accordingly, it is not possible to advise on the level of overall capacity reductions that may be achieved.

The budget for the decommissioning scheme under the National Development Plan 2000-2006 is €8.8 million, of which about 50% will be spent on the first phase of the scheme and the balance will be spent on the second phase, which is planned for delivery during 2006 and 2007. The terms of the second phase of the scheme may be adjusted to take account of the findings of the review of the whitefish sector, which also forms part of the overall strategy for the whitefish sector which I announced last week.