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The Government today (December 22) announced the revised terms of reference of the Fishermen Claims Appeal Board for Trawl Ban (FCAB) to also cover appeals filed by fish collector owners pursuant to a one-off assistance package for fishermen affected by the trawl ban.
The Legislative Council Finance Committee approved in June 2011 a one-off assistance package to trawler vessel owners, local deckhands and fish collector owners affected by the trawl ban. To determine the assistance for the latter category, it was decided that the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) should, after implementation of the trawl ban, assess if any bona fide fish collectors would be affected by the trawl ban, and, if so, to what extent.
The AFCD has completed its assessment on the impact of the trawl ban on fish collectors. It is concluded that one-off assistance should be provided to inshore fish collector owners who have been mainly serving inshore trawlers prior to the trawl ban and have been genuinely affected by the trawl ban.
Starting from December 2, 2014, eligible fish collector owners affected by the trawl ban can register with the Interdepartmental Working Group (IWG) for applications for the one-off assistance. If fish collector owners are not satisfied with the decisions of the IWG on their application, they may lodge appeals to the FCAB.
The FCAB was established in November 2012 to process appeals filed by trawler owners and local deckhands against the decisions of the IWG set up to handle matters relating to applications for the one-off assistance package from parties affected by the trawl ban.
The terms of reference of the FCAB are as follows:
With reference to the ex-gratia allowance (EGA) and a one-off grant under the one-off assistance package approved by the Finance Committee on June 10, 2011:
* To see that the criteria established by the IWG for processing and/or vetting applications for the EGA comply with the government policy, and are fair and reasonable (in the public law sense) to the applicants.
* To see that the IWG's decisions on eligibility and the amount of EGA granted comply with the government policy and are fair and reasonable (in the public law sense) to the applicants.
* To examine any new or additional information/evidence provided by the appellants (or their representatives) who have lodged an appeal against the IWG's decisions or by the relevant departments, and to consider the relevance of and the weight to be given to such information/evidence.
* To consider whether to uphold the IWG's decisions on the appellants' cases or to revise the decisions, and to determine the type and amount of EGA payable to the appellants, as appropriate.
The secretariat of the FCAB is located at the Food and Health Bureau, 19/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong.
Ends/Monday, December 22, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:21
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