§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what assessment he has made of the capability of the undersea telecoms link between the Shetland Islands and the mainland for carrying clear traffic for the purpose of Her Majesty's Coastguard; and when he expects the link to be mended; [22847]
(2) how many consultants were employed by the Coastguard Agency in (a) 1996–97 and (b) 1997–98; in what capacity; and at what cost. [22844]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonI have asked the Chief Executive of the Coastguard Agency, Mr. C. Harris, to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from C. J. Harris to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 16 January 1998:
The Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about the Coastguard service.The Coastguard Agency employed 22 consultants in 1996–97 at a cost of £525,455 and have so far employed 22 consultants in 1997–98 at a cost to-date of £330,832. Since April 1996, these consultants have been involved in a wide range of projects including IT training and development, paybill modelling, health and safety, Coastguard property and assisting the Marine Pollution Control Unit with annual and table top exercises.HM Coastguard has microwave telecom links between Shetland and the Scottish mainland provided by British Telecom rather than undersea submarine cable. My Regional Controller for North and East Scotland has confirmed that there are no defects or restrictions on operators due to British Telecom lines which effect the communication links of HM Coastguard.