Tony Killeen
Question:419 Mr. Killeen asked the Minister for the Marine the location of the headquarters of the Loran C navigational system; and if there is a military element to its use and control. [13169/95]
Written Answers. - Loran C Navigational System.
Tony Killeen
Question:420 Mr. Killeen asked the Minister for the Marine the military uses the French authorities can make of the Loran C system; and if any of these uses have a nuclear power element. [13170/95]
Tony Killeen
Question:421 Mr. Killeen asked the Minister for the Marine the percentage of the costs of the proposed Loran C mast at Loop Head, County Clare which will be met by the French Government. [13171/95]
Tony Killeen
Question:422 Mr. Killeen asked the Minister for the Marine the source or sources of funds for maintenance costs of the Loran C system, including the proposed Loop Head mast. [13174/95]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 419, 420, 421 and 422 together.
Loran C is a civil land-based radio-navigation system. It is used extensively throughout the world. It has no military or nuclear significance. This system in north-west Europe is being expanded so as to significantly improve the safety of navigation and the protection of the marine environment in north-west Europe waters. It will ensure the availability of an independent non-military cost effective system as an alternative to the US military Global Positioning System (GPS). Loran C is under the control of civil authorities and agencies in the countries concerned and overall control is rested in civil representatives from those countries.
While any system of communications may be used for military purposes. Loran C has nothing to add to the variety of sophisticated military purposes, Loran C has nothing to add to the variety of sophisticated military systems in use and has no significance from a military or nuclear perspective.
The parties to the Loran C International Agreement have established an administrative organisation consisting of a Steering Committee and a Co-ordinating Agency. The steering Committee, which is comprised of senior officials from the countries involved in the Agreement, rotates its meetings between the various signatory countries. The co-ordinating Agency Office is located in Oslo, Norway. There is no operational HQ, as such, for Loran C. Each country owns, is responsible for and has full control over its own stations. The synchronising of the timing of each station's signals is currently done at an interim centre in Norway; this function will transfer to Brest, France in due course.
There will be a total of nine transmitters in the Loran C chain, of which three, including Loop Head, will be new constructions. The International Agreement provides for the sharing of capital costs on the following basis: Denmark offers the free use of the station at Ejde in the Faroe Islands and agrees to facilitate the updating of the station in accordance with the agreed specification and programme; France offers the free use of the existing Loran C facilities at Lessay, Souston and Brest; in addition France will fund new capital expenditure at Lessay and at Brest, and will contribute 50 per cent of the capital expenditure for the new station in Ireland; Germany will fund all capital expenditure at Sylt in Germany and contribute to general project management and technical assistance costs; Ireland will fund 45 per cent of the capital expenditure for the new Irish station; The Netherlands will contribute a proportion of the shared overall capital expenditure, equivalent to 50 per cent of the Ejde station and 5 per cent of the Irish station; Norway will fund all capital expenditure at Gamvik, Boe, Fedje in Norway and Jan Mayen; Norway will contribute 50 per cent of the capital expenditure at Ejde and will contribute to general project management, technical assistance and maintenance centre updating costs.
This accounting mechanism is designed to ensure an equitable distribution of the cost burden, with countries benefiting directly from the new stations contributing to the capital cost of their construction or upgrading, and those countries not hosting a station also making a fair financial contribution. This arrangement also has the benefit over the alternative of pooling and redistributing funding through the Co-ordinating Agency of minimising currency exchange costs.
In this regard, the contributions of France and the Netherlands towards the capital costs of the Irish station reflect the direct benefit of its inclusion in the chain to seafarers in the Bay of Biscay and road transport in the Netherlands, respectively. Similar considerations give rise to the contribution of Norway and the Netherlands towards the capital costs of the Loran C station located in the Faroe Islands.
Under the terms of the International Agreement, each party will pay all expenditure for the operation of the facilities on their respective territories, with the following exceptions: the Co-ordinating Agency running costs are shared equally by the parties except for France, which pays in kind; the maintenance centre running costs will be met by France on a cost recovery basis; Denmark will pay 50 per cent of salaries and remunerations of personnel employed at the Ejde station, the rest of the running costs being shared by the Netherlands and Norway.