§ 4.1 p.m.
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT (LORD LINDGREN)My Lords, I regret having to make a second intrusion into this important debate, but, with your Lordships' permission, I will now repeat a Statement which is being made in another place by my right honourable friend the Minister of Transport.
The Interim Plan for the Ports prepared by the National Ports Council in accordance with Section 1 of the Harbours Act, 1964, is being published this afternoon; copies will be available in the Printed Paper Office. The principal recommendation is the development—which the Council consider to be urgently necessary—of fourteen ports, involving the construction of about 70 new berths and the renovation of about 46 existing berths. These schemes, some of which have already been started, are additional to the proposals for the iron ore ports in South Wales. In total they would cost about £150 million to £155 million. This expenditure will, of course, necessarily be phased over a number of years.
The Government welcome these proposals for much-needed modernisation and expansion of port capacity and in particular the proposals for providing new deep-water berths. Ports are a vital element in the basic industrial structure of the country; their modernisation 1326 is of particular importance in helping to speed the movement of exports. Measures for port development must be coordinated nationally, but the regional Economic Planning Councils and the Councils for Scotland and Wales are also being asked to consider the implications of the Report. It is the responsibility of the port authorities to submit individual schemes to the Minister for detailed consideration, in consultation with the Council. The existence of the Interim Plan will not rule out consideration of other schemes, which port authorities may wish to submit, and all these schemes will be considered in relation to the Government's overall planning for ports.
The Council also recommend improvements in port organisation, the early reform of certain charges made by port authorities and the complete overhaul and reform by port authorities of their charges structures in the next five years or so. Certain of these recommendations will fall to be considered in conjunction with the report of the Committee of Inquiry under Lord Devlin. Others may be brought to the attention of the Economic Development Committee for the movement of exports, whose work is just beginning. We agree that reform of port charges will be necessary to ensure better and more efficient use of existing facilities and to encourage development of the ports. The Council also recommend that, for the purpose of assisting port authorities to undertake proposed development, the Government should make grants up to £25 million to £30 million in the next five years. We are now studying this recommendation in consultation with the Council. The Government are grateful to Lord Rochdale and his colleagues for their Report, which is a notable step in planning for the ports on a national basis.
LORD ST.OSWALDMy Lords, we are grateful to the noble Lord for repeating this Statement. I do not think it raises any Party issues, of which there is no inhibiting dearth in other sectors of government. At the moment, therefore, I will confine myself to adding our expression of appreciation from these Benches to Lord Rochdale and his colleagues, and say that we shall be studying the Plan as printed and now available, and that we may have more comment to make after that study.
§ LORD WAKEFIELD OF KENDALMy Lords, in view of the economy that is being made in public expenditure, what will be the effect of the Statement that the noble Lord has just made on the overall Government policy for expenditure? Clearly, if there is to be economy in public expenditure, it may have a quite severe reflection on the Statement he has just made to the House.
§ LORD LINDGRENMy Lords, your Lordships will remember that the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Statement in another place yesterday, which was repeated here, was quite definite in stating that the expansion of the ports was urgent to boost exports, and in addition it was necessary to improve access to the ports.