HL Deb 01 May 1985 vol 463 cc237-8

2.47 p.m.

Lord Kennet

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question standing in my name in the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the co-ordination of maritime policy is among the responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Transport, and if so why, in his answer to the Commons on 29th March (cols. 383–386) he makes no reference to maritime affairs.

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, my right honourable friend does indeed take the lead in coordinating the Government's maritime policies. In his Answer to the Question from the honourable Member for Rugby and Kenilworth on 29th March my right honourable friend made an extensive reference to the action which the Government have taken in pursuing their shipping policy. The necessary constraints on the length of his Answer did not permit him to detail more of the work that the department has undertaken in this and other related areas.

Lord Kennet

My Lords, was not that extensive reference in practice confined to the Government's action in privatising one or two shipping interests or enterprises? Does the noble Lord consider that, even if it had covered the whole shipping industry, it would be sufficient evidence of the Secretary of State's activity of co-ordinating maritime policy of all sorts? Was it not an extremely lengthy Written Answer, giving a full panorama of a year's activity? Did it contain the word "co-ordination"? I believe not.

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, my right honourable friend's Answer certainly did not restrict itself only to privatisation. I refer the noble Lord to the Answer in col. 384 of 29th March 1985. I do not wish to waste the time of your Lordships by reading it out, but basically it gives a summary of what we have done in the world shipping markets to open them to competition, and so on. In fact, it does not mention privatisation as such.

Lord Shinwell

My Lords, is it not possible that the Minister's right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport made no reference to maritime affairs because the Government have no policy on maritime matters? This is a very serious situation because in terms of the possibility—I would not put it higher than a possibility—that we might be faced at some time with aggression we will find that, in lacking an effective and adequate maritime policy, we will not have the faintest chance of gaining a victory.

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, it is quite wrong to say that my right honourable friend did not mention the maritime policy in his written reply to which I have just referred. Perhaps I may recap on what he said. The main aims of our policy are to secure the widest and fairest world-wide market for British shipping to compete in, to fight protectionism, subsidy, noncommercial competition and unsafe vessels in international and cabotage trades and to reduce the burden of external costs and marine regulations.

Lord Kennet

My Lords, will the noble Lord now answer the Question, which referred to, "the co-ordination of maritime policy"? Can he name a single action taken by his right honourable friend to coordinate the policy towards maritime affairs of the other 13 Government departments which it is his duty to co-ordinate?

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, co-ordination can and does take place and the problems are not of Government machinery but of international economic pressures and distortion of shipping and shipbuilding markets. With regard to naming any specific act of co-ordination, I could mention the control of pollution, for instance, where we operate very closely with the relevant department there.

Lord Paget of Northampton

My Lords, is the noble Lord's reluctance to answer this Question caused in part at least by the progressive absence of the Blue Ensign from the oceans? They are getting fewer and fewer.

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, with regard to the Blue Ensign, in fact I think most of our merchant shipping flies the Red Ensign. The reasons for the decline in the fleet I hope I covered in answer to a Question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Grimond, in January of this year. There are many different reasons for that, notably a change in patterns of trade and very competitive rates in the bulk trades, particularly the wet bulk trade.