§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with British Waterways about the level of charges for hire boat licences they will impose this year on operators affected by canal closures. [155251]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 23 March 2001]: Decisions on the level of charges for hire boat licences are an operational matter for British Waterways. They recognise that canal closures have presented difficulties for waterway businesses and have agreed to defer the date for payments of hire boat licences from 1 April 2001 to 1 June 2001. This arrangement applies to both those who pay by instalments and those who pay in a single payment.
I refer the hon. Member to my statement to the House on 20 March 2001, Official Report, columns 191–210, when I reported on the work of the Rural Taskforce. We are developing a package of measures to alleviate the immediate financial hardship of small businesses in rural areas which have been hit by the sudden drop in visitors and other knock-on effects of foot and mouth disease. The taskforce will continue its work and we will want to consider any further Government response in light of the latest developments.