Referral of proposed Holyhead Breakwater subsidy by the Welsh Government

皇冠体育app Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) has accepted a request from the Welsh Government for a report concerning a proposed subsidy to Stena Line Ports Ltd to support them to meet the costs of refurbishing the breakwater at the Port of Holyhead, Anglesey.

皇冠体育app Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) has accepted a request from Welsh Government for a report concerning a proposed subsidy to Stena Line Ports Ltd to support them to meet the costs of refurbishing the breakwater at the Port of Holyhead, Anglesey.

SAU referral type Mandatory referral

Administrative timetable

Date Action
9 August 2023 Report published
12 July 2023 Deadline for receipt of any third party submissions (submissions after 5pm on this date cannot be taken into account)
28 June 2023 Beginning of reporting period

Final report

9 August 2023: 皇冠体育app SAU has published its report providing advice to the Welsh Government concerning the proposed subsidy to Stena Line Ports Ltd for refurbishment of the Port of Holyhead breakwater. 皇冠体育app report sets out our evaluation of the Welsh Government鈥檚 Assessment of Compliance of its proposed subsidy with the requirements set out in the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

Request from the Welsh Government

27 June 2023: 皇冠体育app SAU has accepted a request from the Welsh Government for a report concerning a proposed subsidy to Stena Line Ports Ltd. for refurbishment of the breakwater at the Port of Holyhead. This request relates to a Subsidy of Particular Interest.

皇冠体育app SAU will prepare a report, which will provide an evaluation of the Welsh Government鈥檚 assessment of whether the subsidy complies with the subsidy control requirements (Assessment of Compliance). 皇冠体育app SAU will complete its report within 30 working days.

Information about the scheme provided by the Welsh Government

皇冠体育app Welsh Government is proposing to contribute public funding to Stena Line Ports Ltd (Stena) to support them to meet the costs of refurbishing the existing 2.4 kilometers Victorian breakwater at the Port of Holyhead (the Port). 皇冠体育app breakwater was constructed between 1845 and 1873 and has been under Stena鈥檚 ownership since 1991.

皇冠体育app refurbishment is expected to cost more than 拢100 million and public support will comprise a total subsidy of around 拢28 million.

It is understood that if refurbishment is not undertaken, this would eventually lead to the loss of the breakwater, reducing the ability of the Port to provide reliable ferry services, increasing the delays and cancellations to services caused by bad weather. This could lead to a closure of the Port which would have significant negative social and economic impacts.

皇冠体育app proposal is to provide the subsidy over the life of the refurbishment project itself, which is expected not to exceed 2 years. 皇冠体育app grant will be paid to Stena in installments that reflect progress made.

Information for third parties

If you wish to comment on matters relevant to the SAU鈥檚 evaluation of the Assessment of Compliance concerning the proposed subsidy from the Welsh Government to Stena Line Ports Ltd., please send your comments before 5pm on the date stipulated in the timetable above. For guidance on representations relevant to the Assessment of Compliance, see the section on reporting period and transparency in the Operation of the subsidy control functions of the Subsidy Advice Unit.

Please send your submissions to us at [email protected], copying the public authority: [email protected].

Please also provide a contact address and explain in what capacity you are making the submission (for example, as an individual or a representative of a business or organisation).

Notes to third parties wishing to make a submission

  1. 皇冠体育app SAU will only take your submission into account if it can be shared with the Welsh Government. 皇冠体育app SAU will send a copy of your submission to the Welsh Government together with its report. This is to allow the public authority to take account of the submission in its decision as to whether to grant or modify the scheme or its assessment. We therefore ask that you provide express consent for your full and unredacted submission to be shared. We also encourage you to share your submission directly with the Welsh Government using the email address provided above.

  2. 皇冠体育app SAU may use the information you provide in its published report. 皇冠体育apprefore, you should indicate in your submission whether any specified parts of it are commercially confidential. If the SAU wishes to refer in its published report to material identified as confidential, it will contact you in advance.

  3. For further details on confidentiality of third party submissions, see identifying confidential information in the Operation of the subsidy control functions of the Subsidy Advice Unit.

Contacts

SAU project team: [email protected] CMA press team: 020 3738 6460 or [email protected]

Updates to this page

Published 14 September 2023