MP calls for Liverpool cruise terminal injunction (From Daily Echo)
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MP calls for Liverpool cruise terminal injunction
3:14pm Wednesday 4th July 2012 in Business
Caroline Nokes
A HAMPSHIRE MP was today due to demand an injunction preventing Liverpool from flouting restrictions on its cruise terminal.
Southampton’s northern rival sparked anger by starting to launch journeys from its terminal before complications over its public funding have been resolved.
European Commission bosses have yet to judge whether the deal put forward with the UK Government complies with state aid law.
Brussels is also investigating what should happen to an £8.6m European development grant given to Liverpool.
Caroline Nokes, pictured, the Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North, was today due to use a Westminster Hall debate to call for “fair competition in the cruise industry”.
Last night she hit out at Liverpool’s “anything goes”
approach to taxpayers’ money, saying her campaign had been backed by MPs in other parts of the country.
She told the Daily Echo: “It’s important that the minister realises the strength of feeling on this.”
It comes as Europe’s competition commissioner Joaquín Almunia yesterday said the UK Government had been reminded of its “obligation to comply with European Union state aid rules” and warned Liverpool that the EU might ask for its money back.
Comments(9)
ohec
says...
4:36pm Wed 4 Jul 12
arizonan wrote:Its no good you keep throwing your toys out of the pram, its just a waiting game now and all we can do is wait until we get a decision on how much if any has to be repaid to the E.U. and U.K. plc. And whether the U.K. is in breach of state aid rules.
Flouting what rules? She is a UK MP, Liverpool C.C. has agreed to pay back the UK grant.
arizonan
says...
6:41pm Wed 4 Jul 12
Another fact, the UK Government has employees operating at the Liverpool Cruise Terminal.
The Salv
says...
8:08pm Wed 4 Jul 12
ohec wrote:He's an absolute pathetic little troll boy.
arizonan wrote:Its no good you keep throwing your toys out of the pram, its just a waiting game now and all we can do is wait until we get a decision on how much if any has to be repaid to the E.U. and U.K. plc. And whether the U.K. is in breach of state aid rules.
Flouting what rules? She is a UK MP, Liverpool C.C. has agreed to pay back the UK grant.
ronn12
says...
10:58pm Wed 4 Jul 12
Proud from LIVERPOOL
says...
12:41am Thu 5 Jul 12
Has this dozy MP been asleep all these weeks, its a bit late in the day to start moaning again or is she after some cheap publicity to boost her ego.
Incidentally government employees ( the border agency etc ) , employed by her government work on the cruise terminal .
Millian Liberal
says...
2:35pm Thu 5 Jul 12
@proud from LIVERPOOL: perhaps you wouldn't be so 'proud' if you realised how underhanded the port had been. They took the money by promising not to operate as a turnaround port, and then promptly did exactly that! I quote from the debate a point made by Julian Lewis MP:
Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con): Before my hon. Friend gets back into her stride, does she agree that good faith, as well as fairness, should come into account? It was revealed, as a result of a freedom of information request, that Liverpool city council resisted pressing for a turnaround facility at the outset “due to advice that there could be state aid complications which could prevent the terminal being built at all.”
The key words are:
“Their approach was to build as a port of call facility and address turnaround later.”
It seems that it was using a Trojan horse tactic and acting in very bad faith".
I wouldn't be very proud of that.
Millian Liberal
says...
2:38pm Thu 5 Jul 12
Caroline Nokes: My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. It is partly about good faith and trusting that the port of Liverpool and Liverpool city council will abide by conditions and rules that are set for them.
By 2008, Liverpool city council had launched its first attempt to lift the conditions, and the conclusion, after a detailed assessment by the Department for Transport, was that the change of use to turnaround cruises would have an
“unfair and adverse effect on competition between Liverpool and other cruise ports. It would be unfair to allow one port to benefit when competitors have found, or would have to find, private money to achieve the same objective.”
And so to today. The Government have decided, “based on independent advice”—even though that advice is from First Economics, a consultancy that freely admits it is not expert in either competition or the cruise industry—that they will withdraw their objection to removing the funding condition and Liverpool being used for turnaround calls, provided Liverpool repays either £8.8 million upfront or £12.6 million over 15 years. None of the European regional development fund money would have to be paid back, but—this is crucial and goes back to the good faith argument—state aid clearance from the European Commission would have to be secured.
andysaints007
says...
1:52pm Fri 6 Jul 12
Proud from LIVERPOOL wrote:She's not quite as dozy as you, you pratt.
" Caroline Nokes, pictured, the Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North,........ "
Has this dozy MP been asleep all these weeks, its a bit late in the day to start moaning again or is she after some cheap publicity to boost her ego.
Incidentally government employees ( the border agency etc ) , employed by her government work on the cruise terminal .
arizonan says...
4:00pm Wed 4 Jul 12