§ Mr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the cost of medical evacuations from foreign-owned fishing boats off the United Kingdom in the last 12 months; and if he will list the names and the national ownership of the fishing boats involved. [6428]
§ Mr. SoamesEmergency medical rescue of civilians at sea is the responsibility of the Coastguard which may call on military search and rescue assets if required. During the last 12 months, our military SAR aircraft have carried out 17 medical rescues from foreign-owned fishing vessels off the United Kingdom, as follows:
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Vessel National ownership Scarlet Bucaneer Irish Ocean Monarch Irish Lui 2 French Hakin Spanish Rafael Nemina Spanish Mar 4 Spanish Deo Juvianti Dutch Open Belgian
Vessel National ownership Madre Querido Spanish Jesus de Belem Spanish Albatross French Not known Danish Not known Danish Jose Castro Spanish Manuel DaCosta Spanish St Carolus Belgian Helen Mary German Details of rescues carried out by the Coastguard may be obtained from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. The cost of medical rescues is not separately identified as these operations form part of the normal duties of SAR assets. The only extra cost incurred by MOD is in supporting the Coastguard in some out-of-hours operations.