Coastguard Modernisation Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

Coastguard Modernisation

Iain Stewart Excerpts
Tuesday 22nd November 2011

(12 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Mike Penning Portrait Mike Penning
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The rescue facilities in the Liverpool area will be enhanced. We will utilise the buildings that we have so that we do not rent new buildings for the sake of it. We will have more trainers, more enhanced staff, and the volunteers will provide a much better service for the public to rely on.

Iain Stewart Portrait Iain Stewart (Milton Keynes South) (Con)
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Although my Milton Keynes South constituency is probably as far from any part of the UK coastline as it is possible to be, I take a close interest in these matters as a member of the Transport Committee. I congratulate the Minister on balancing so many competing priorities and representations so objectively and fairly, but can he confirm to me that he is still reversing a key flaw in the original proposals, which was for only daylight operations at some stations?

Mike Penning Portrait Mike Penning
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That is one of the key aspects that we examined to see where resilience would come from. As we looked at the possibility of not having a second full-time MOC, the only way to provide resilience was for all the remaining stations to be open 24/7. That is why they will all be operational 24 hours, not just with daylight manning.