HC Deb 30 October 1989 vol 159 cc90-1W
Mr. Barry Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any information on the management costs expressed per ton at municipal ports.

Mr. McLoughlin

Regulations under section 42 of the Harbours Act 1964 require all statutory ports whose turnover is £250,000 or more to send their annual accounts to this Department, which also collects data on the trade which passes through ports. Because of the wide variety of goods handled, comparisons of costs per ton would not be meaningful.

Mr. Barry Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will carry out a financial and managerial appraisal of all municipal ports.

Mr. McLoughlin

No. Any such appraisal would be the responsibility of the local authorities concerned or for the Audit Commission, in the case of a broader comparative survey.

Mr. Barry Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those ports together with their tonnage for the last five years operated by municipal management.

Million tonnes
1984 1985 1986 1987 1988
Anglesey Marine Terminal (closed March 1988) 6.5 7.8 7.4 7.7 1.1
Boston 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.4
Bridgwater 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.2
Bristol 3.8 3.8 4.1 4.0 4.5
Colchester 1.5 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.0
Orkney 16.1 16.1 15.8 17.1 8.0
Perth 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
Portsmouth 1.6 2.0 2.0 2.4 2.8
Ramsgate 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.9
Sullom Voe (Shetlands) 59.7 59.0 57.2 50.0 50.6
Sunderland 1.2 2.5 2.3 1.8 2.0
Watchet 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Whitby and Scarborough 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
Whitstable 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4
Wisbech 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1
Workington 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.7

Statistics of freight tonnage through British ports are published in an annual report "Port Statistics", published jointly by the Department of Transport and the British Ports Federation. "Ports Statistics 1988" was published on 27 October and a copy has been placed in the House Library.