§ Viscount Davidsonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have decided to change the basis for the payment of light dues in 1994–95 from net to gross tonnage.
The Earl of CaithnessLight dues are currently assessed on the net registered tonnage of the vessel. In 1990, the then Secretary of State for Transport announced to the House the Government's decision in principle to change to a gross tonnage assessment from April 1994.
We have decided not to proceed with such a change at this stage. However the standard tonnage assessment under the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement 1969 (ICT 69) will be fully implemented in July 1994. Further evidence collected by Trinity House suggests that some vessels would face a substantial increase in light dues if the final introduction of the ICT 69 measurement followed closely on a move to gross tonnage assessment. Accordingly we have decided to allow the change to ICT 69 measurement to take place and will monitor the results. This will permit a more accurate analysis of the effects on light dues of a move to gross tonnage. We shall then give further consideration to the possibility of a change to gross tonnage assessment.