HC Deb 18 December 2003 vol 415 cc1080-1W
Mr. Beggs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total tonnage of cargo brought into(a) Lame and (b) Belfast ports was, including both bulk and unit loads, in each of the last five years. [144237]

Mr. Pearson

The information sought is set out in the following table.

Tonnage of goods through Larne and Belfast Ports 1998–2002: Inward traffic
Thousand tonnes
Larne Belfast
1998 2,902 9,168
1999 3,074 9,740
2000 2,236 9,736
2001 1,852 9,804
20021 2,212 9,197
1The most recent year for which figures are available

A new EC Maritime Statistics Directive (Council Directive 95/64/EC on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of goods and passengers by sea) has recently been implemented in the UK (1 January 2000). This required a complete overhaul of data collection methods. It should be noted that the different collection system for freight traffic has resulted in some discontinuities in data series between 2000, 2001, 2002 and previous years.

Mr. Beggs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the weight of cargo leaving(a) Lame and (b) Belfast ports was in each of the last five years; and what the percentage change was in each year. [144238]

Mr. Pearson

The information sought is set out in the following table.

Tonnage of goods through Larne and Belfast ports 1998–2002: Outward traffic
Thousand tonnes
Larne Belfast Larne %change Belfast %change
1998 2,296 3,066
1999 2,504 3,122 9.1 1.8
2000 2,271 2,748 -9.3 -12.0
2001 1,668 3,598 -26.6 30.9
20021 2,083 3,628 24.9 0.8
1The most recent year for which information is available)

A new EC Maritime Statistics Directive (Council Directive 95/64/EC on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of goods and passengers by sea) has recently been implemented in the UK (1 January 2000). This required a complete overhaul of data collection methods. It should be noted that the different collection system for freight traffic has resulted in some discontinuities in data series between 2000, 2001, 2002 and previous years.

Mr. Beggs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of(a) inward and (b) outward traffic at Northern Ireland's ports comprised foreign unit load cargo in each of the last five years.[144239]

Mr. Pearson

The information sought is set out in the following table.

Percentage of inward and outward traffic at Northern Ireland's ports comprised of Foreign unit load cargo 1998–02
Inward traffic
1998 2.9
1999 2.9
2000 3.3
2001 3.4
20021 4.0
Outward traffic
1998 3.7
1999 3.8
2000 3.9
2001 4.0
20021 4.0
1The most recent year for which information is available

A new EC Maritime Statistics Directive (Council Directive 95/64/EC on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of goods and passengers by sea) has recently been implemented in the UK (1 January 2000). This required a complete overhaul of data collection methods. It should be noted that the different collection system for freight traffic has resulted in some discontinuities in data series between 2000, 2001, 2002 and previous years.