The Petition of residents of the constituency of Blaenau Gwent,
Declares that there is a fierce reaction to the wholly unexpected proposed closure of the Swansea Coastguard Station, which will affect 28 staff, and declares that the Petitioners fear that lives will be put at risk if the proposal goes ahead, as the Petitioners are unconvinced that new technology would be an adequate substitute for close proximity between the coastguard and other emergency services.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Secretary of State for Transport to reconsider the decision to close Swansea Coastguard Station and ensure that a coastguard station remains at Swansea.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Nick Smith, Official Report, 14 November 2011; Vol. 535, c. 663.]
[P000975]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Transport:
Having decided in July that one coastguard centre from each existing operational pair should remain open in the new coastguard rescue co-ordination structure, the Government consulted specifically on whether there were factors that would suggest that Swansea should be retained in preference to the centre at Milford Haven. Consultation ended on 6 October. No new and compelling arguments were put forward and the Government therefore announced on 22 November that given the Department for Transport’s existing employment profile in the Swansea area, it would be right to retain a rescue co-ordination function at the Milford Haven centre. However, there will still be a coastguard presence at the Swansea site in support of the volunteer Coastguard Rescue Service.