§ Mr. Bestasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to increase the use of civilian helicopters for search and rescue in addition to or in substitution of the provision made for search and rescue by the Ministry of Defence.
§ Mr. Michael SpicerMy Department has no plans to increase the use of civilian helicopters for search and rescue beyond the single contract S61N aircraft presently operated by Her Majesty's Coastguard from Sumburgh, Shetland Isles.
However, a working group set up by the United Kingdom search and rescue committee is reviewing the rescue helicopter coverage of the United Kingdom search and rescue region for civil maritime and aviation search and rescue and will make recommendations to the committee at its meeting in December.
Interested bodies and Members, including my hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Mon, will be invited to make representations to the working group either by letter or at the group's coastal meetings in Inverness on 29 July and at Lee-on-Solent on 31 July.