Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) vessel owners and (b) vessels that will receive funding through the Fisheries Response Fund; and what steps his Department plans to take to assess the effectiveness of that funding support.
There have been 1,182 vessels identified as eligible for the Fisheries Response Fund (FRF). As of 2 June, 1,175 have applied and 1,152 payments have been made totalling £5.53 million. These payments have been made to 1,042 individuals/businesses. Businesses may claim support for each qualifying vessel they own.
Defra is in the process of commissioning an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the fund.