§ 18. Mr. Wallasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the total cost of clearing the Suez Canal; how far this includes the amount spent by the United Kingdom and French Governments in clearing the Port Said end of the canal; and how it is proposed that these costs be met.
§ Commander NobleThe total cost of clearing the Suez Canal was approximately £3,401,000. This includes the costs incurred by the Anglo-French salvage fleet during the period in which it was solely responsible for clearance work and also the costs of its services when it formed part of the United Nations fleet after the United Nations took over responsibility on 22nd December. The costs of the United Nations fleet are to be met from the proceeds of a surcharge of three per cent. which is to be levied on the dues of all ships passing through the Suez Canal, while those incurred by the United Kingdom before 22nd December rank as a governmental claim against Egypt.
§ Mr. WallWhile thanking my right hon. and gallant Friend for that reply, and appreciating how difficult it is to get an agreement on this subject, may I ask whether this solution is not rather unfair to shipowners? Could he say what happens to the fleets under flags of convenience, such as Liberia? Do they pay the same share as the bigger fleets of Britain and America?
§ Commander NobleTo answer the second part of the supplementary first, as far as I am aware, all fleets pay the same surcharge. I agree with my hon. Friend that this was not an easy decision to take, as it means that British shipowners who have already suffered from the closing of the canal—[HON. MEMBERS: "Hear, hear."]—through the closing of the canal by the Egyptian Government—will have to pay a further sum, but we thought that it was the least unsatisfactory of the possible arrangements.