§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will make a statement regarding reductions in expenditure on the Auxiliary Coastguard Service.
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§ Mr. Clinton DavisThere are no such reductions. Expenditure on auxiliary coastguard remuneration rose from £;167,000 in 1972–73 to £;231,000 in 1973–74 and to £ 435,000 in 1974–75, while the Department's revised estimate for the current year is £;667,000. Over the same period the hourly rate of pay has about doubled.
In view of this sharp increase in expenditure, my Department has been looking into the hours worked by auxiliaries to ensure that all are essential to maintain the service at an optimum level. As announced last August, there are plans to develop our search and rescue services which include greater reliance on the auxiliaries whose work is very valuable; but this underlines the need to secure the full efficiency of their operations.