§ Q122. Sir David PriceTo ask the Prime Minister what progress she has made in the Council of Ministers of the European Community in persuading other member Governments to accord equal rights of cabotage to each others coastal shipping, and if she will name the non-complying Governments.
§ The Prime MinisterMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport is continuing to press hard for agreement on cabotage liberalisation in the Transport Council.
The six member states who have laws restricting cabotage trades to ships of their national flag are the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. We have an agreement with the Federal Republic which ensures that British operators offering a competitive service have no bureaucratic difficulties in participating in German cabotage trades.