To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the budget for 2010–11 of the Research and Radionavigation Directorate of the General Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom and Ireland. [HL5919]

The budget for the Research and Radionavigation Directorate in 2009-10 was £2,227,000. The budget for 2010-11 will be determined in the light of ongoing discussions between the Department for Transport and the General Lighthouse Authorities as part of the normal process of reviewing budgets for the next financial year.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a cost-benefit analysis has been carried out of the Research and Radionavigation Directorate of the General Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom and Ireland; and, if so, whether they will place a copy in the Library of the House. [HL5920]

The Research and Radionavigation (R&RNAV) Directorate of the General Lighthouse Authorities (GLAs) has taken forward development projects including the solarisation of aids to navigation, LEDs, automation of lighthouses, differential global positioning system and the vessel automatic identification system. While a cost benefit analysis has not been carried out, it is estimated that over the past 10 years the GLAs have, partly as a result of these advances in technology, been able to cut light dues as well as the costs to ship owners associated with AtoN provision by £167 million.