§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement listing the role of his Department and the money it has spent on maritime activities in the constituency of Waveney for each of the past 10 years; and what his forward plans are for the next three years.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe work undertaken by the Department of Transport's surveyor general's organisation in the constituency of Waveney includes the survey, certification and inspection of United Kingdom registered seagoing ships, fishing vessels and passenger craft; the inspection of foreign flag ships under the memorandum of understanding on port state control; the examination of candidates for the issue of statutory seagoing certification; and, as necessary, the investigation of ship accidents. The Department's marine pollution control unit is responsible for planning contingency arrangements and taking charge of operations to deal with pollution arising from shipping casualties. Her Majesty's coastguard is responsible for initiating and co-ordinating civil maritime search and rescue measures from two coastguard stations within the constituency, at Lowestoft and Southwold. The Department manages the general lighthouse fund, which finances Trinity House's expenditure on general navigational aids in the area. These comprise two lighthouses and 12 lighted buoys. Trinity House also regularly surveys the Holme channel approaches to Lowestoft and inspects some 219 local aids to navigation, including many on the River Waveney.
All these activities form part of the Department's forward plans for the next three years. Information about expenditure on them in the constituency of Waveney could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, in 1990–91, £42,000 was spent on aquiring new premises for the coastguard station at Southwold and the Department paid £325,000 in 1989–90 and £14,000 in 1990–91 towards the cost of compensation of redundant dock workers at Lowestoft.