HL Deb 07 February 1991 vol 525 cc1311-4

5.12 p.m.

The Minister of State, Department of Transport (Lord Brabazon of Tara) rose to move, That the draft order laid before the House on 20th December 1990 be approved [7th Report from the Joint Committee].

The noble Lord said: My Lords, the order defines the Loran C radionavigation system as a beacon for the purposes of the General Lighthouse Fund. Its effect would be to enable the general lighthouse authorities to establish such a system in the United Kingdom. The order would, however, only take effect if we became a party to a proposed international agreement to establish the Loran C as the regional radionavigation system in North West Europe and the North Atlantic. The order is thus a conditional one.

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport expects to take a final decision on this important issue before the middle of the year.

Britain is of course already very well served by the Decca navigator system, which is technically similar to the Loran C system. Decca has long served mariners well, and it continues to do so. It is much respected by its many users. The possibility of change reflects no shortcomings in the Decca system, but comes about from the opportunity to join a system which has potential for expansion.

For some time now a number of European countries have been considering the possibility of developing a regional civil Loran C system when the United States relinquish its European military Loran transmitters in a few years' time. The Americans have offered to transfer these stations—in Norway, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroes and Germany—to the host nations as a basis for a civil system. France has also offered to include her two existing Loran C transmitters in such a system. Completion of the civil system requires new transmitters in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Norway. It is also dependent on a cost-sharing agreement being reached for establishing and running the system.

The Government published a detailed consultative document in 1989 seeking the marine community's views on the future of radionavigation in United Kingdom waters and on the possibility of adopting Loran C as part of this international system. We gave very careful consideration to the responses to that consultation. These were both constructive and helpful, though there was an understandable mixture of support for each of the two systems. In April last year, my right honourable friend's predecessor announced his conclusion in principle that, on technical and cost grounds, the balance of advantage would be to join the international Loran C system. In reaching that view, we were conscious of the high regard which many mariners have for the Decca system. The fishing industry in particular sets great store by Decca, and over many years fishermen have established detailed Decca fixes to record their favoured fishing grounds.

I accept that there is an understandable reluctance to contemplate change, and we have not approached this lightly ourselves. But I am sure that if we do join the proposed international agreement all mariners will be equally well served by Loran C and will grow to appreciate its merits. The particular problems of the fishermen are well understood. But we believe that, with the propagation modelling techniques now being developed, it will be possible to produce data to assist the fisherman to convert his daylight Decca positions to Loran C fixes.

Adoption of Loran C will mean cost savings as compared with the Decca system, and this will be beneficial to all payers of light dues once the system is fully established. Loran C also offers some technical benefits in its greater range and more consistent coverage. Further, it suffers much less from seasonal and night skywave effects, which means that locations can be revisited with much greater confidence regardless of the time of day or the season. Against these positive advantages, we cannot stand aside from the opportunity now offered of establishing a regional international system covering such a large sea area. We have to take account here too of the interest in Loran C now being shown in the Mediterranean and around the Iberian Peninsula. There is also interest in the possible links in the Barents and Baltic seas between Loran C and the similar Russian Chaika system.

Nonetheless, as I said earlier, our decision at this stage is conditional on the reaching of an international agreement with the other countries concerned in the proposed North West Europe and North Atlantic system. Our April decision was one in principle only and its confirmation depends on a number of conditions being met.

First, the international agreement must be acceptable in terms of the share of the system costs to he attributed to the United Kingdom. Progress is being made on these negotiations, and there now seems a better prospect of agreement. But that final agreement has yet to be reached.

Secondly, we need to reach such an agreement by mid-1991 if we are to ensure for United Kingdom waters an adequate period when both the Decca and Loran C systems would operate alongside each other. This is essential for a smooth transition. And it is particularly important for the fishing community, which would like to see as long a transition as possible in order to convert its records. The timescale for this also reflects the fact that the existing contract for the Decca service cannot continue beyond 1997. So we have a finite window for a decision.

Furthermore, before making a commitment to the agreement, we need to be sure that sites for the essential new transmitters in Britain and Ireland are available and have the necessary clearances. Again progress is being made, but the process is as yet incomplete.

The final condition laid down in the Secretary of State's April announcement was that Parliament should have approved the necessary extension of the General Lighthouse Authorities' powers to establish and operate Loran C in the United Kingdom. The order before the House today relates to that requirement. Its effect is to define Loran C as a "Beacon" for the purposes of Part XI of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894, so that the system would come within the meaning of the "lights, buoys and beacons" which are managed by the authorities at the expense of the General Lighthouse Fund. A similar order was approved by this House in 1986, when responsibility for the Decca system was transferred to the lighthouse authorities.

Approval of the order before the House today will fulfil one of the conditions stipulated by the Secretary of State for Transport. This is a necessary preliminary to his reaching a decision later in the year on a final commitment to sign the international agreement. If that agreement were not reached for whatever reason the order would have no effect, since it is conditional on the agreement, and in that event my right honourable friend's predecessor indicated that the Government would consider whether to arrange for modernisation of the existing Decca system and its continuation beyond 1997.

The House's approval of the order will enable the preparatory work on the Loran C proposal to continue, and will also be evidence of our good faith to our partners in the international discussions. I beg to move.

Moved. That the draft order laid before the House on 20th December 1990 be approved [7th Report from the Joint Committee].—(Lord Brabazon of Tara.)

Lord Underhill

My Lords, I am sure that the House will appreciate that I do not have the technical knowledge of the Loran C equipment. For that reason, noble Lords will appreciate the outline of the position given by the Minister in defining the improvements. This is a statutory instrument determined by affirmative resolution and therefore it would be wrong for us not to indicate that anything that improves the efficient use of equipment and helps the safety of shipping will receive our full approval.

In paragraph 2 the Minister commented on the international agreement. Perhaps he could indicate with whom the international agreement is made. Of the nations concerned, does it have to be unanimous or could there be partial agreement? The order makes no distinction and does not define the position of the international agreement at all.

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Underhill, for his reception of the order. The countries which are in progress on this matter are Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway. Agreement needs to be reached with all those countries regarding the cost sharing arrangements. I shall not go into the details of cost sharing; there is an upper limit above which we will not go.

On Question Motion agreed to.