Fishing Boats (Satellite-Tracking Devices and Electronic Reporting) (England) (Amendment) Scheme 2014
The Committee consisted of the following Members:
† Baker, Steve (Wycombe) (Con)
Donohoe, Mr Brian H. (Central Ayrshire) (Lab)
† Eustice, George (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fitzpatrick, Jim (Poplar and Limehouse) (Lab)
Glass, Pat (North West Durham) (Lab)
Hepburn, Mr Stephen (Jarrow) (Lab)
† O'Brien, Mr Stephen (Eddisbury) (Con)
Paisley, Ian (North Antrim) (DUP)
† Penrose, John (Lord Commissioner of Her Majesty's Treasury)
† Phillipson, Bridget (Houghton and Sunderland South) (Lab)
† Pincher, Christopher (Tamworth) (Con)
† Smith, Angela (Penistone and Stocksbridge) (Lab)
Stewart, Bob (Beckenham) (Con)
Stuart, Ms Gisela (Birmingham, Edgbaston) (Lab)
† Stunell, Sir Andrew (Hazel Grove) (LD)
Walker, Mr Robin (Worcester) (Con)
† Willetts, Mr David (Havant) (Con)
† Williams, Roger (Brecon and Radnorshire) (LD)
Daniel Whitford, Leoni Kurt, Committee Clerks
† attended the Committee
Ninth Delegated Legislation Committee
Thursday 29 January 2015
[Mr Gary Streeter in the Chair]
Fishing Boats (Satellite-Tracking Devices and Electronic Reporting) (England) (Amendment) Scheme 2014
11.30 am
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (George Eustice): I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the Fishing Boats (Satellite-Tracking Devices and Electronic Reporting) (England) (Amendment) Scheme 2014 (S.I. 2014, No. 3363).
I am pleased to present the scheme, which will provide funding to the owners of English fishing vessels for the purchase of upgraded electronic logbook software in compliance with obligations under the common fisheries policy. Logbook and landing declaration information forms an essential element of the means by which we monitor data and manage fisheries for the benefit of fishermen and the wider the environment. Under community law, fishing vessels that are over 10 metres in length must keep a logbook to record estimates of catch onboard vessels. They are also required to submit landing declarations containing accurate landing figures.
Traditional paper-based logbooks and landing declarations are time consuming for fishermen to complete, and entering data from paper records on to computerised databases is resource-intensive for fisheries administrations. As a result, since 2010, electronic logbooks have been rolled out to the UK over 12-metre fishing fleet under the EU’s control regulation.
Electronic submission of fishing data brings other benefits. It allows the monitoring in real time of fishing activity as logbook information is gathered on a daily basis. It assists in the detection of attempts to misrecord catches, contributing towards improving compliance. The operation of electronic logbooks relies on complex software. Technology has developed over time, and it has become necessary to alter the format of the data
that electronic logbook software stores and transmits, although fishermen will not see significant differences in how they operate their systems. The new data format requires new software to be supplied to affected vessels, which comes at a cost. Given that the benefits of electronic reporting are felt most by the Government, it is appropriate to offer fishermen some financial assistance in the process. We propose to offer grant aid of up to £1,000 for the installation of updated electronic logbook software.In order to offer fishermen a choice of electronic logbook, we have approved five different suppliers. As a result, upgrade costs for the four suppliers vary between £300 and £1,000. Although the cost to the public purse is low, it is important to ensure that appropriate controls are in place. To ensure that costs remain fair to all parties, the Marine Management Organisation will accept applications for funding up to a total of £1,000 per vessel. On that basis, the overall cost of this funding scheme will not exceed £330,000 for the 330 English vessels that are over 12 metres, and in reality will be significantly lower. Some fishermen may wish to take the opportunity to move from one software supplier to another, but that is a business decision and grant funding would not be appropriate in those circumstances.
I am pleased that the Marine Management Organisation has made a successful bid for funding under the EU aid budget, which means that 90% of the upgrade cost will be met from that fund. We are also taking the opportunity to future-proof this legislation to provide for the possibility of funding future software changes, including any that may be necessary to monitor compliance with the new common fisheries policy regulation and, in particular, the landing obligation. I hope hon. Members support the scheme.
11.34 am
Angela Smith (Penistone and Stocksbridge) (Lab): It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Streeter. I am sure that sometimes the Minister would like to establish clear dividing lines between the Government and the Opposition but, on this occasion, with such a straightforward measure on the table, I am destined to disappoint him. We support the scheme and there is nothing further to say to detain the Committee.