§ 15. Sir Robert Rankinasked the President of the Board of Trade what is the present approximate balance available in the General Lighthouse Fund; and whether, in view of the fact that the revenue of this fund has exceeded the expenditure for the past 10 years, any plans are under contemplation for adding to or improving existing lighthouses and light-vessels around the coasts of Great Britain?
§ Dr. BurginThe balance which will be available on the General Lighthouse Fund 979 at the end of the present financial year on 31st March next is estimated at £270,000. As my hon. Friend will see from the accounts of the fund for the year ended 31st March, 1936, laid before Parliament, the revenue does not regularly exceed the expenditure, and the net excess over the past 10 years was quite small (about £45,000). Additions and improvements in the lighthouse services are authorised year by year as requisite, and a scheme for the replacement of obsolescent light-vessels has recently been initiated.
§ Mr. PalingWill the balance in this fund be pinched by the Chancellor of the Exchequer for Defence?