The General Lighthouse Fund 2008-2009 : report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2009

The General Lighthouse Fund was created by statute in 1898 to provide funding for the three General Lighthouse Authorities (GLAs): Trinity House (TH), Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses (known as Northern Lighthouse Board) (NLB), Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL).

Today the GLAs are multi-skilled organisations providing a highly technical and specialised professional service.

The primary aim of the GLAs is: to deliver a reliable, efficient and cost effective 'Aids to navigation service' (AtoNs) for the benefit and safety of all mariners.

In recent years progress towards modernisation of the GLAs has been rapid.

All lighthouses were automated by 1998 with controls centralised at each GLA headquarters.

Floating aids to navigation have been solarised. A differential global positioning system to enhance the US Global Positioning System has been provided since 1998 permitting the GLAs to close the expensive Decca Navigation System in 2000, and in the coming years e'navigation will play an ever increasing role as an aid to navigation.

The GLAs have focused on reducing costs with major investment programmes on both depots and ships. This report contains a management commentary, performance indicators and a review of current and future developments, as well as presenting the Fund's accounts for 2008-09.