Chamber and committees

How does that work? Is there something on the vessel that sends a signal?

Sorry, but I want to ask something before you move on. I am just a simple person, and I have a compliance figure of £29.3 million, but I do not have an enforcement figure. Is there such a thing as the cost of enforcement? I hear everything that you say about the fuel costs and everything else, and I take it that that all comes under enforcement. Do we have a figure for it, or does the £29.3 million cover both things?

Ah. I am trying to understand this. There is no compliance and enforcement budget line; they are separated out. We cannot really disentangle them, because compliance depends on how effective enforcement is. I am trying to get a figure for the cost. I am not saying that people are not doing a good job; I just want to know what the cost is. If you could just let me know what that would be, please. We are talking about a huge bit of the marine directorate’s budget.

So, that was that. What was the other one? I have lost track of my own questions.

Oh, yes, it was about—

What about the aircraft?

I am thinking about when you will have to replace them or use something else.

Can REM or the other more technological things to some extent replace having old-fashioned things—I do not want to use the word “clunky”—such as aircraft and boats sailing about looking for mischief? Apart from when people decide to go out and do something, will the more technical systems ever replace that?

I am looking for a number. Where would we find that? Is there a statutory level of fines for various things?

I have found the supplementary question. You need evidence to fine someone. How successful are you? What is your percentage hit rate?

My final question—and it is the last one, convener—is whether you can project the savings that could be made to the compliance and enforcement budget if you were to make a transition to using technology such as drones or electronic monitoring, instead of having aircraft in the sky. It may be early days, but are you able to project any savings that could be made to the compliance and enforcement budget, which is very large?