§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to modify or end light dues. [HL3639]
§ Lord Davies of OldhamThe Government issued a consultation document, entitledLight Dues Review: Meeting the Costs of Marine Aids to Navigation, last summer seeking the views of the maritime industry on the structure of UK light dues. One of our aims was to see whether we could identify changes to the current structure that would distribute costs more accurately among users.
The results of the consultation exercise were inconclusive, with no consensus of opinion on the way forward. In March the Government announced a programme of further work on a number of issues, which will allow further consideration of options for modifying the present light dues system. We have no plans to end light dues, and we remain committed to a cost-recovery system.