Decommissioning of Fishing Vessels Scheme 2007

Yes, it has to be transparent. When the money runs out, that is the end. There is a limit on the finance of £5 million. Moreover, the scheme is not completely a UK one; there is European Union involvement with the management plan and everything else. The formula will be known, and they will know the tonnage of the vessel, how many days they have been at sea and what the catch has been. They have to meet the target of 75 days at sea in each of the two 12-month periods beforehand. So it is not a question of being able to manipulate the figures; the figures have to be up front. In other words, although it might be thought inappropriate, these are people involved in serious fishing. Even with the restrictions on the number of days allowed out, 75 days is serious fishing. Those people will know that if they have gone out on 150 days in one year and on no days in another year, they will not get in. All that is known up front, and, if successful, they will know to a fairly accurate degree how much money they will receive for the decommissioning bid. I think that I have covered everything on my list of questions. If I have not, I shall stand corrected, and I will see whether I can get further information.