§ Mr. Muddasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the actual cost of pleasure-boat surveys and licensing in respect of the years 1968, 1969 and 1970; and how much of this was recovered by direct charges on pleasure-boat operators.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantI regret that the information sought in the first part of the Question is not available and could not be obtained without a disproportionate expenditure of time and effort.
As regards the second part of the Question, the fees charged for marine surveys before 1st May, 1971, were intended overall to recover half the cost of providing the fee-earning services but were in fact recovering a substantially smaller proportion.
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§ Mr. Muddasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why licensing fees for pleasure-boats have now risen, in some cases by 600 per cent., from£22 to£134.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantThe fee in question is for the survey of a ship under 50 tons with a view to the issue of a passenger certificate.
Marine survey fees generally have been increased so as to recover, in accordance with Government policy, the full costs of providing the fee-earning services. Previously they had been intended to recover only half these costs but, because of cost increases since they were last revised in 1967, they had been failing to do even that. The average increase needed to achieve full recovery was 330 per cent, but in accordance with our policy of ensuring that each class of survey recovers its own costs, the increase in fees for passenger ship surveys is 510 per cent.
§ Mr. Muddasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) on what dates was prior notice given to pleasure-boat operators that increases in licence fees would come into effect on and after 1st May, 1971;
(2) what consultations took place with the trade before the increases in pleasure-boat licence fees were imposed.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantThe marine survey fees apply to the shipping industry as a whole and separate consultation with every sector of the industry is impracticable. The United Kingdom Chamber of Shipping and a number of other representative national bodies were informed on 11th April, 1969, of the Department's intention to increase these fees, on a date to be announced, to levels at which they would recover the full cost of providing the fee-earning services. The effective date of 1st May, 1971, was notified to those organisations on 26th March, 1971.
§ Mr. Muddasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will indemnify any boat-owner from prosecution in cases where the 1971 summer fares were estimated and assessed before the substantial nature of the survey and licensing fees became known and the operator publicly advertised in local guides and 212W through other media set excursion fares which will now have to be revised in an upward direction.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantNo. I assume the Question relates to prosecution under the Trade Descriptions Act. Prosecutions under this Act are not generally brought by this Department.
§ Mr. Muddasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the average time taken in surveying a passenger-boat in the 13 to 40 passenger category.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantThe time spent on the actual survey of a typical ship of this kind would average about half a day. Considerable time can be spent by surveyors in travelling to and from ships, especially in the remoter parts of the country. In order to avoid wide variations, standard fees are charged. These allow for travelling time and cost, surveyor's accommodation and associated services and a number of other items of an overhead nature.