asked the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the amount of work on behalf of Trinity House placed with overseas shipyards in the last three years; what information he has as to the reasons for such expenditure; and if he will make a statement.
On 15 July with the consent of my right hon. Friend, Trinity House signed a contract with Hyundai of Korea for the construction of a lighthouse tender at a total cost then estimated at £9·6 million. Hyundai's price was £5 million below the lowest UK bid, which far exceeded the support that could be offered from the shipbuilding intervention fund. The whole cost of the vessel falls on the general lighthouse fund, which is private goods vehicle operator licences came into effect in June 1984 we have received comments on various aspects of the system. As part of the review we are about to undertake of the way the provisions are working, we shall consider these comments and also seek the views of interested organisations.