Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 10 Dec 1991

Vol. 414 No. 4

Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - Port Costs.

Ivan Yates

Ceist:

1 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for the Marine if he will outline the relative costs to port users between the following ports (a) Larne, (b) Belfast, (c) Dublin, (d) Dún Laoghaire, (e) Rosslare and (f) Cork; whether any studies have been carried out by his Department into comparative costs between ports; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for the Marine (Mr. Wilson)

Following is a schedule of the charges which apply at Dún Laoghaire Harbour. Dún Laoghaire Harbour is the only commercial seaport operated by my Department.

It will be seen from that schedule that there is a complex range of port charges. As Dún Laoghaire is not a multi-model port, there is, of course, a variety of other charges not covered in the schedule. Details of the full range of charges applying at the ports mentioned by the Deputy are available from the relevant port authorities.

While comparisons of port charges like those contained in the Sectoral Development Committees: Report and Recommendations on Port Costs, can be useful, they cannot give a comprehensive picture of the effective cost of using competing ports because different arrangements can apply to port users depending on their trade with the particular port.

It was with a view to moderating port charges at our key commercial and local seaports that the Government, in conjunction with the EC Commission, are promoting port developments costing in excess of £69 million through the operational programme on peripherality.

I am conscious that for the Irish exporter, access transport costs are significantly higher than those of their competitors in the EC. This fact has been acknowledged by the Commission of the European Communities and a major study of our sea and air access transport needs was completed last year. The conclusions of the study, which was jointly funded by the Government and the Commission, have formed the basis of a detailed Government submission which was presented to the Commission last May, seeking Community funding to meet Ireland's access transport needs, in addition to the £69 million investment I mentioned.

In my consideration of harbour authorities' applications for harbour rates orders — to increase their port charges — I am conscious of the different rates applying in competing ports. However, those authorities in setting their port charges also have to have regard to their commitments to all port users and to their own financial situations.

My Department's policy is to assist harbours to compete more effectively and efficiently. I hope to see port charges becoming more competitive in future years through harbour authorities' own endeavours and with Structural Fund assistance.

Dún Laoghaire Harbour, County Dublin.

Schedules of Tonnages and Goods Rates Leviable by the Minister for the Marine as at 1 January 1990.

Schedule I.

Tonnage Rates.

(1)	For a commercial trading vessel, other than provided for elsewhere in this schedule, per ton	82.92p
(2)	For a vessel which is engaged mainly in the trade of carrying passengers and motor cars accompanied by their owners as passengers and which ships and unships vehicles and/or cargo by a roll-on/roll-off system, per ton	35.64p
(3)	For a vessel, other than a commercial fishing vessel, which enters the harbour for a non-trading purpose such as for repairs or through stress of weather or for bunkers or stores for the vessel's own consumption and does not take on board any cargo or passengers or discharge cargo or disembark passengers (except temporarily in connection with the repairs to the vessel), per ton	23.40p
(4)	For a fishing vessel which enters the harbour and
	(a) lands fish, per entry	£2.33
	(b) does not land fish, per entry	£1.44
	Alternative annual composition rate, valid for the period from the date of payment to the following 31 December in respect of (a) and/or (b) above	£58.15
(5)	For a vessel remaining in the harbour for more than six weeks, for every week it shall so remain in the harbour after six weeks, per ton	£1.02
(6)	For a vessel entering or leaving the harbour for the purpose of conveying passengers or cargo to or from a vessel anchored outside the harbour, per ton	£1.60
	On payment on any day of a composition rate equivalent to the rate for two such trips a vessel may make an unlimited number of trips during that day without further payment.
(7)	For a vessel which is engaged exclusively in the trade of carrying cargo laden vehicles and other road vehicles and which ships and unships such vehicles by a roll on/roll off system, per ton	52.36p

Dún Laoghaire Harbour

In the following clauses, "the harbour" shall mean Dún Laoghaire Harbour (which includes an area within 500 yards from the mouth of the harbour).

(i) The Tonnage Rates and Goods Rates, leviable by the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland in respect of the harbour, have been revised as from the First day of January, 1990 pursuant to the State Harbours Act, 1924 (No. 49 of 1924);

(ii) In respect of vessels entering the harbour there shall be payable on demand the Tonnage Rates set forth in Schedule I hereto;

(iii) The tonnage of a vessel upon which Tonnage Rates shall be based and chargeable shall be the net registered tonnage or half the gross tonnage, which-ever is the greater;

(iv) The Goods Rates set forth in Schedule II hereto shall be payable on demand in respect of the gross weight of goods and merchandise shipped, transhipped or unshipped in the harbour;

(v) Goods Rates shall not be charged in respect of the outfits, stores or provisions of any vessel;

(vi) Tonnage or Goods Rates shall not be charged on

(a) State-owned vessels,

(b) Vessels of foreign governments on courtesy visits,

(c) Lifeboats or yachts,

(d) Vessels entering the harbour for the sole purpose of carrying stores of any kind for the use of any Government Department or the Commissioners of Irish Lights.

SCHEDULE II

Goods Rates

Based on Standard International Trade Classification (all rates are per tonne unless otherwise specified).

Division	Commodity	Rate
	Food and Live Animals chiefly for Food
00	Live animals chiefly for food (except Sheep)	£1.17 each
	Sheep	68p each
01	Meat and meat preparations	£1.41
02	Dairy products and birds' eggs
	Dried Milk	£1.41
	Other Items	£2.48
03	Fish, crustaceans and molluscs and preparations thereof	£1.87
04	Cereals and cereal preparations	£1.07
05	Vegetables and Fruit
	Vegetables	£1.41
	Fruit fresh, dried nuts	£1.87
	Fruit and nuts prepared, preserved Juices, Jams Purees, Other Items	£2.48
06	Sugar, sugar preparations and honey
	Sugar, raw, refined and molasses	£1.50
	Other Items	£2.48
07	Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof
	Tea	£3.02
	Chocolate	£2.48
	Other Items	£1.87
08	Feeding stuff for animals (excluding unmilled cereals)	£1.07
09	Miscellaneous edible products and preparations	£2.48
	Beverages and Tobacco
11	Beverages
	Spirits, Wines and Cordials	£2.48
	Other Items	£1.41
12	Tobacco and tobacco manufactures
	Manufactures	£3.02
	Other Items	£1.87
	Crude Materials, Inedible, Except Fuels
21	Hides, skins and furskins, raw	£1.50
22	Oil seeds and oleaginous fruit	£1.35
23	Crude rubber (incl. synthetic and reclaimed)	£3.02
24	Cork and Wood
	Softwood (1.4 cub. metres = 1 tonne)	£1.10
	Hardwood	£1.60
25	Pulp and waste paper	£1.14
26	Textile fibres (excluding wool tops) and their wastes
	Wool, wool waste	£2.48
	Other Items	£1.41
27	Crude fertilisers and minerals, excluding petroleum and precious stones	£1.05
28	Metalliferous ores and metal scrap
	Metal Scrap	99p
	Ores and concentrates, other items	£1.07
29	Crude animal and vegetable materials, (NES)	£1.41
	Mineral fuels, Lubricants and Related Minerals
32	Coal, coke and briquettes	97p
33	Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials
	Spirits: White spirits, motor spirit, aviation spirit, naphta	£1.87
	Lubricating Oils	£1.87
	Fuel Oils: Gas oil, diesel oil, vapourising oil, kerosene, light fuel oil, medium fuel oil, aviation turbine fuel and similar oils	£1.50
	Petroleum Bitumen	£1.07
	Other Fuel Oils: Heavy fuel oil, residual fuel oil, creosote, tar oil, etc.	£1.41
34	Gas, natural and manufactured	£1.87
	Animal and Vegetable Oils, Fats and Waxes
41	Animal Oils and Fats	£1.87
42	Fixed vegetable oils and fats	£1.87
43	Animal and vegetable oils and fats, processed and waxes	£1.87
	Chemicals and Related Products, NES
51	Organic Chemicals	£2.48
52	Inorganic Chemicals
	Industrial Gases	£3.02
	Sodium Carbonate	£1.13
	Liquid Ammonia	£1.87
	Other Items	£1.41
53	Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials	£1.60
54	Medicinal and pharmaceutical products	£2.48
55	Essential Oils, perfume materials etc.
	Soap, cleansing, polishing preparations	£2.48
	Other Items	£3.02
56	Fertilisers, manufactured	£1.14
57	Explosives and pyrotechnic products	£3.02
58	Artificial resins, plastic materials, cellulose esters and ethers	£3.02
59	Chemical materials and products, NES	£1.60
	Manufactured Goods Classified Chiefly by Materials
61	Leather, leather manufactures, NES and dressed furskins	£3.02
62	Rubber manufactures, NES	£3.02
63	Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture)
	Veneers	£2.48
	Other Items	£1.60
64	Paper, paperboard and articles of paper pulp, of paper or paperboard
	Liner Board	£1.14
	Other Items	£1.60
65	Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles, NES related products
	Yarns	£1.50
	Fabrics	£1.87
	Made-up articles and floor coverings	£2.48
66	Non-metallic mineral manufactures, NES
	Cement and other construction materials	£1.07
	Other Items	£2.48
67	Iron and Steel
	Tubes and pipes fabricated	£1.41
	Other Items	£1.14
68	Non-ferrous metals	£1.87
69	Manufactures of metal, NES (excluding laden-empty units engaged in RO/RO traffic: See Div. 99)	£2.48
	Machinery and Transport Equipment
71	Power generating machinery and equipment	£2.48
72	Machinery specialised for particular industries	£2.48
73	Metalworking machinery	£2.48
74	General industrial machinery and equipment NES and parts, NES	£2.48
75	Office machines and automatic data processing	£2.48
76	Telecommunications and sound recording, reproducing equipment	£3.02
77	Electric machinery, apparatus and appliances, NES and parts	£2.48
78	Passenger Motor Cars and other Vehicles (excluding laden/empty vehicles engaged in RO/RO traffic and Tourist Traffic: See Divs. 98 and 99)	£5.08 each
79	Other transport equipment	£1.87
	Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles
81	Sanitary, plumbing, heating, lighting fixtures and fittings, NES
	Sanitary etc. ware of ceramic material	£1.60
	Other Items	£2.48
82	Furniture and parts thereof	£2.48
83	Travel goods, handbags and similar containers	£3.02
84	Articles of apparel and clothing accessories	£2.48
85	Footwear	£2.48
87	Professional, scientific and controlling apparatus, NES	£3.02
88	Photographic apparatus, optical goods, NES watches and clocks	£3.02
89	Miscellaneous manufactured articles NES	£3.02
91	Postal, mail — exempt
93	Special transactions	£3.02
94	Animals — Live — Zoo	£1.22 each
95	Military — Arms, Ammunition and Equipment	£3.02
96	Coin — not legal tender	£3.02
97	Gold	£3.02
98	Tourist Traffic
	Motor Cars	£2.60 each
	Motor Cycles	£2.60 each
	Trailers	£2.60 each
	Caravans	£5.14 each
	Dormobiles-Mini Buses	£5.14
	Coaches and Buses	£16.73 each

***************************************

99	RO/RO Cargo Carrying Vehicles	Loaded	Empty
	Not exceeding 6.1 m (20') in length	£14.11 each	£2.42 each
	Exceeding 6.1 m (20') but not exceeding 9.15 m (30')	£21.17 each	£3.62 each
	Exceeding 9.15 m (30') but not exceeding 12.2 m (40')	£28.20 each	£4.83 each
	Exceeding 12.2 m (40') but not exceeding 15.25 m (50')	£35.26 each	£6.03 each
	Exceeding 15.25 m (50') in length	£42.31 each	£7.24 each

Note: NES — not elsewhere specified.

Mr. Yates

Is the Minister aware that large port costs in the Republic are three times greater than costs in Northern Ireland, with particular reference to Larne, Warrenpoint and Belfast? Will the Minister carry out an exhaustive study why this is so, and will he take steps to ensure that Irish ports are more competitive? Will he agree that one of the reasons for the differential in costs is that Northern Ireland has 100 per cent capital grant aid, whereas certain ports in the South, like Rosslare, have had to operate totally out of borrowing? Will the Minister take steps to ensure that within a given timetable the costs of port dues and shipping costs in the Republic will be brought into line with those of our competitors in Northern Ireland to stop the huge amount of traffic which goes from Cork or Kerry to Larne and then from Stranraer to the South of England in order to reduce costs?

Mr. Wilson

I am aware that what the Deputy says is true because much of the traffic moves through my constituency, and does not improve the roads. The Deputy mentioned a 100 per cent capital grant. I did not quite understand that. Is it from the European Community?

Mr. Yates

From the Government.

Mr. Wilson

There is a substantial European Community grant for Northern Ireland ports; they get a higher percentage rate than we do because we have to spread it over more ports. I agree it is very important that we should have highly competitive rates and my Department are working on that as diligently as they can.