§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what discussions he has had with other Government Departments regarding the cessation 1539W of payments from the UK General Lighthouse Fund for the provision of navigational aids in Irish territorial waters; [168239]
(2) what discussions he has had with the Irish Government regarding the cessation of payments from the UK General Lighthouse Fund for the provision of navigational aids in Irish territorial waters. [168240]
§ Mr. JamiesonI have been asked to reply.
The General Lighthouse Fund meets the cost of providing aids to navigation services for the British Isles as a whole, but the Government shares UK shipping industry concerns about the imbalance in the amounts of light dues collected in the UK and in Ireland. Since we reiterated in January our commitment to renegotiate the current level of funding from Ireland there have been further discussions at official level between the Department for Transport and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. and with the Irish Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. The Northern Ireland Office will also be involved as the dialogue progresses.