§ Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when a decision is to be announced on differential geostationary positioning satellites;
334W(2) when his Department expects to publish the feasibility report on monitoring the integrity of the United States Norstar global positioning satellite system;
(3) if he will list the representations he has had about differential geostationary positioning satellites;
(4) when non-encrypted differential geostationary positioning satellites will be available to the leisure market in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. NorrisThe global positioning system—GPS—is a method of determining position based upon signals from satellites. The system has been developed by the United States of America Department of Defence. It has not yet been declared fully operational. Encrypted differential global positioning system—DGPS—signals are transmitted from the United Kingdom and from the Republic of Ireland. Such signals can improve the accuracy of the position found. Those signals are provided on a commercial basis by Scorpio Marine, under the terms of a 1991 contract with the three general lighthouse authorities —GLAs. The Department recently received representations from Trinity house, on behalf of the GLAs, to consider the case for transmitting unencrypted signals. Officials from the Department are to meet the GLAs shortly to consider both that proposal and also a draft study by the GLAs on monitoring the integrity of GPS signals.