HL Deb 19 October 1999 vol 605 cc115-6WA
Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What savings are expected to accrue from the closure of the coastguard stations at (a) Oban and (b) Pentland Firth. [HL4162]

The Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston)

The Deputy Prime Minister has stated that there will be no net job losses in Scotland, so the savings to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency will accrue from the closure of the maritime rescue sub-centre buildings at (a) Oban and (b) Pentland Firth. In a full year these are expected to be

(a) Oban £30,000
(b) Pentland Firth £67,000
Total £97,000

Further "savings" will accrue from the reduced costs of ICCS which for the two stations is likely to be in the region of £450,000.

However, it should be underlined that savings were not a reason for station closures, which are aimed at enabling the agency to make better use of its resources.

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many search and rescue operations have been conducted by the coastguard stations at (a) Oban and (b) Pentland Firth. [HL4163]

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston

The table below details seach and rescue operations conducted by Her Majesty's Coastguard at the Oban and Pentland rescue centres between 1988 and 1998.

Year Oban MRSC Pentland MRSC
1988 224 85
1989 231 84
1990 223 77
1991 169 89
1992 231 146
1993 213 129
1994 237 136
1995 288 136
1996 255 133
1997 267 140
1998 288 111
Total 2,619 1,250
1999 To Date 236 92
Figures = total incidents.

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish

asked Her Majesty's Government:

For each of the coastguard stations at Oban and Pentland Firth, how many people are employed and how many have opted for redundancy when the stations close. [HL4164]

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston

The number of staff employed at each station is as follows:

  • Oban 17 (two of which are on contract employment which cease on closure)
  • Pentland 21 (one of which is on contract employment which cease on closure).

A preference exercise for staff is about to commence and the number of staff opting for redundancy will not be available until this has been completed.