Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many shifts were staffed below risk-assessed levels at (a) Liverpool and (b) Holyhead Maritime Rescue Co-ordination centres in (i) June 2013, (ii) December 2013, (iii) June 2014 and (iv) December 2014.

Holyhead Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) transitioned into the new National Network as a Coastguard Operations Centre (CGOC) at the start of December 2014. Due to the flexibility offered by the new National Network the National Maritime Operations Centre and CGOCs do not have fixed geographic boundaries. Minimum manning levels and workload are managed at the network rather than individual centre level as is the case with MRCCs. Therefore no specific Holyhead data is available for December 2014.

Where there are specific issues at a MRCC, Her Majesty’s Coastguard uses the current long established pairing arrangements between MRCCs. This enables each MRCC to be connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support.

These historic risk assessed watch level assessments at MRCCs err strongly on the side of caution. As each MRCC joins the evolving national network the number of Coastguards at any of the individual centres becomes less significant. The flexibility of the new arrangements means that it is more important to consider the number of Coastguards available on the growing network.

That said, based on the risk assessment which characterises the previous model, the number of shifts and hours Liverpool and Holyhead MRCCs were staffed at below risk assessed levels for the dates asked were as follows:

* HM Coastguard undertake two shifts per day, each last 12 hours.

I have asked for a fresh appraisal of the relationship between the available levels of resource and need in the light of the benefit of the new structure.