§ John Thurso:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications of amalgamation and rationalisation of (a) services, (b) management, (c) premises, (d) depots and (e) fleet provided by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and other bodies responsible for maritime safety in UK territorial waters. [141746]
§ Mr. Jamieson:No specific assessment has been made nor is it considered necessary. The UK land, sea and air Strategic Committee, through its Operators' Group, keeps opportunities for amalgamation and rationalisation of resources for the promotion of maritime safety under review.
The Strategic Committee, which reports directly to Ministers, and the Operators' Group are chaired by my Department and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency respectively. They include representatives from all the UK emergency services, Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Ministry of Defence, Home Office, Mountain and Cave Rescue Teams.
§ John Thurso:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Coastguard calls relating to (a) commercial shipping, (b) leisure craft, (c) fishing 53W vessels and (d) passenger ferries there were in each of the last five years; and what the cost was in each case. [141821]
§ Mr. Jamieson:HM Coastguard receives calls relating to commercial shipping, leisure craft, fishing vessels and passenger ferries either directly from the vessel via radio or satellite communication, or from interested parties ashore via telephone. A record is not kept of the number of individual calls received and as the receiver of such calls there is no cost to HM Coastguard.