Written question asked by Mike Gapes (Labour) on Thursday, 3 May 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 8 May 2001. It was answered by Lord Prescott (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 May 2001 on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will provide a breakdown of the costs incurred to date in connection with the loss of the FV Gaul. - Includes figures.

Answer: Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will provide a breakdown of the costs incurred to date in connection with the loss of the FV Gaul. [160731] Mr. Prescott: The costs incurred to date in connection with the loss of the FV Gaul amount to about £1 million. The original formal investigation held in 1974 cost £20,000 and the research conducted last year by Mr. Roger Clarke, acting as a consultant for the Department, which included the search for bodies of the crew in Northern Russia, cost £50,000. The total spent on the Marine Accident Investigation Branch's survey of the wreck conducted in 1998 cost nearly £700,000. The discovery of new and important evidence by the MAIB led to the formal investigation being re-opened on 16 April 1999. Since then over £300,000 has been paid to the firm of solicitors representing the families of the crew, the Max Gold Partnership, of which nearly £240,000 has been paid as legal fees. The families of the skipper and mate are separately represented by Birnberg Pierce & Partners and a bill for £85,000 has recently been submitted to the Department of which some £57,000 is for legal fees.

Secondary information