§ 17. Mr. SpellerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the arrangements for liaison between his Department and the Ministry of Defence in the Bristol channel area; and if he will make a statement on the work of Her Majesty's coastguard on Friday 22 February 1991 when shipping was advised to clear the area during a simulation exercise on the jettisoning of bombs by B52 bombers.
§ Mr. McLoughlinClose liaison between my Department and the Ministry of Defence is maintained by the maritime rescue co-ordination centres of Her Majesty's coastguard at Falmouth and Swansea and the joint RAF-Royal Navy maritime HQ at Plymouth.
Her Majesty's coastguard had neither knowledge of, nor involvement in, any exercises in the Bristol channel area on 22 February 1991.