§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what action he is taking to ensure that London River Services and the Port of London Authority honour the contracts which they entered into with Thames riverboat operators under the Partners in Progress scheme; [95481]
(2) what powers he has to enforce sanctions against London River Services and the Port of London Authority should they fail to honour the contracts which they entered into with Thames riverboat operators under the Partners in Progress scheme. [95480]
§ Mr. HillAs part of the Government's Thames 2000 initiative to revitalise passenger transport on the Thames, London River Services (LRS) took over key central London piers from the Port of London Authority (PLA) on 1 April this year. LRS has been in discussion with Thames riverboat operators about the arrangements to transfer the licence agreements reached with the PLA to LRS.
LRS hope to be able to reach agreements with all the Thames riverboat operators on the transfer of licences. Indeed, the majority of operators have now signed new LRS licences. However, I am aware that some operators are still in negotiation with LRS about contractual arrangements, and I understand that the possibility of legal proceedings has been raised. In view of this it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.