Trawlermen Compensation Scheme

Ed Davey Excerpts

Wednesday 30th June 2010 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Mr Edward Davey)]

The Government have today published a statement on the operation of the former Icelandic water trawlermen compensation scheme. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ website:

http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/employment-matters/strategies/trawlermen.

The Government received around 3,400 applications under the new scheme. To date around £3.7 million has been paid or is being paid, to just over 600 successful claimants. We are currently considering how best to take forward around 100 cases where claimants have been unable to provide copies of their fishing records. Around 400 appeals have been received to date, of which around 200 have been processed.

We believe that the new scheme delivers the Government’s objective of compensating former trawlermen for the loss of their livelihoods following the cod war treaties of the 1970s, and that we have met in full the recommendations made by the parliamentary ombudsman in her 2007 report. Total payments of around £60 million have now been made to trawlermen under this and the two previous compensation schemes, and we believe this issue has now been brought to a successful close.