To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of the number of Merchant Navy officers who have upgraded their qualification under the Government assistance for training scheme for each of the years since it started.
The number of Merchant Navy officers who have upgraded their qualification under the GAFT scheme within each financial year since it started are given in the table.
| Financial year | Merchant Navy Officers |
| 1988–89 | 385 |
| 1989–90 | 448 |
| 1990–91 | 491 |
| 1991–92 | 1500 |
| 1 Estimated | |
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of the numbers of seafarers, recruited under the Government assistance for training scheme, trained on foreign flag vessels, including the flags of the Crown and dependent territories, specifying which flag, for each year since the scheme was started.
The number of seafarers recruited under the GAFT scheme within each financial year since it started are given in the table.
| Financial year | Officer Cadets |
| 1988–89 | 227 |
| 1989–90 | 413 |
| 1990–91 | 521 |
| 1991–92 | 1500 |
| 1 Estimated | |
Funding is provided to individuals who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and who are eligible on nationality grounds to serve as master or chief engineer on a United Kingdom ship. While the Department assesses each trainees record on approved courses no central register is maintained of the ships on which they are employed.