§ Lord Dixonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many times and at what cost the shipbuilding and ship repair innovation and technology support scheme has been used in each year since 1997. [HL1710]
§ Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleThere is not a dedicated shipbuilding and ship repair innovation and technology support scheme; however, since 1997 under the department's support for innovation theme, grants with an aggregate value of £3,125,031 (three million one hundred and twenty-five thousand and thirty-one pounds) have been made. The details of these grants are shown in the following table:
185WA
Date of Offer Beneficiary Purpose and Contribution Value of Grant £ May 99 Shipbuilders and Shiprepairers Association UK Maritime Industries Netherlands Study Tour and Seminar 20,000 June 99 Shipbuilders and Shiprepairers Association Benchmarking and Business Improvement Project 94,245 July 2000 Shipbuilders and Shiprepairers Association Ship Marketing Project 175,786 Sep 2000 Shipbuilders and Shiprepairers Association LINK-Integrated Technology for Marine Construction 2,800,000 Oct 2000 A single shipyard Studies on Benchmarking and Marketing 35,000 Total 3,125,031
§ Lord Dixonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many times and at what cost the shipbuilding credit guarantee scheme has been used in each year since 1997. [HL1711]
§ Lords Sainsbury of TurvilleThe Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme (HSCGS) has supported 14 vessels in 1997, seven in 1998, one in 1999, three in 2000 and three 10 date in 2001.
The net costs of/receipts from the HSCGS have been as follows: in financial year 1997–98 the Government received £223,000; in financial year 1998–99 the Government paid out £1,960,000; in financial year 1999–2000 the Government received £1,991,000; and in financial year 2000–01 the Government received £241,000.
§ Lord Dixonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What schemes they have introduced to assist the shipbuilding and ship repair industries since 1997. [HL1712]
§ Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleNo new schemes to assist the shipbuilding and ship repair industries have been introduced since 1997. However, considerable improvements have been made within existing schemes to assist those industries to improve their competitive performance. In addition to those through department's innovation budget (see the answer toPQ 2001/1602), we have made substantial enhancements to the two sector-specific schemes—the Shipbuilding Intervention Fund (SIF) and the Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme (HSCGS).
SIF ceased at the end of last year, as did all other forms of shipbuilding operating aid across the EU, but during the final phase of the scheme we extended its scope and made other changes to make it more attractive to the shipyards. We permitted an element of profit in the calculations of grant levels and broadened eligibility, both geographically and by class of ship.
As regards the HSCGS under which the DTI provides soft credit facilities to ship owners in the form of loan guarantees, we have made the scheme more flexible by providing support for loans in US dollars and euros and by providing guarantees at floating rates.
§ Lord Dixonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any plans to set up a high-level interdepartmental working group to consider a maritime policy for the United Kingdom embracing shipping, shipbuilding and ship repairing. [HLI713]
§ Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleA high-level interdepartmental committee already exists to support the work of the Shipbuilding Forum. This latter body was established in the summer of 1998 to bring together all interested parties in the UK shipbuilding and ship repair industries. Membership includes the Shipbuilders and Shiprepairers Association, the Society of Maritime Industries, the Chamber of Shipping, the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions, the Engineering and Marine186WA Training Agency and officials of interested government departments (Defence, Transport, Local Government and the Regions, Trade and Industry, Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Executive). The report of the Shipbuilding Forum was published in December 1998 and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.