§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) he will assess the impact of safety of the reduction in sector posts by the Coastguard agency; and if he will make a statement; [19022]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effects of the increasing role of volunteers in supporting the Coastguard agency. [19021]
§ Mr. BowisI have asked the chief executive of the Coastguard agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from C. J. Harris to Ms Joan Walley, dated 13 March 1997:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about the reduction in sector posts and the role of volunteers in supporting the Coastguard Agency.The recent review of uniformed coastguard officers has introduced a new higher grade sector manager level with enhanced responsibilities, skills and abilities. This will enable the number of administrative sectors to be reduced from 90 to 64. These changes are administrative and will not affect HM Coastguard's coastal response nor increase reliance upon volunteers.Although volunteers play a vital part in the service we provide, the Agency is not increasing their role or number. In fact the opposite is true; nearly 200 Coastguard Watch Assistants have been recruited to replace the part-time auxiliary volunteers in operations rooms and in regional and district offices.