To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department has allocated for the support of fishermen in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point in each year since 1997. (279330)

Data on the bids and allocations for support to fishermen are not held in a form that is easily accessible and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Some examples of work carried out by DEFRA in Essex and Castle Point in 2008-09 include the Environmentally Responsible Fishing Pilot Scheme, and funding for decommissioning of some ‘under 10 metre vessels’.

Since 2000, we have allocated over £170 million of funding to the fishing industry in the UK as a whole¹. This has consisted of structural funds, including the FIFG (Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance) and European Fisheries Fund (EFF), and a range of national schemes to help support development and sustainability of the UK fishing fleet.

Some £67 million² (including national match funding) is now available under the EFF, for projects in England. As part of this, during the past year, we have announced a package of support measures for the industry, amounting to around £5 million³ worth of funding.

¹ Figures provided by Marine and Fisheries Agency.

² Ibid.

³ Ibid.