Asked by: Lord Fuller (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the overall competitiveness of UK port charges on a regional basis for the bulk cargoes that support global trade, in comparison with those of the UK's principal trading partners in the European Union.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
No such formal assessment has been made. However, the UK ports sector is market-oriented and competitive both internally and externally, with ample capacity available at national level for bulk cargoes.