Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff were employed at (a) Swansea and (b) Milford Haven Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in (i) August 2013, (ii) February 2014, (iii) August 2014 and (iv) February 2015.

The new flexible shift patterns and the ability for areas covered by the new HM Coastguard structure to be handled by any Coastguard within it mean workload is managed nationally rather than on a centre by centre basis. This enables HM Coastguard to proactively match available staff across the whole network to its busiest areas and times, both diurnally and seasonally.

It is therefore more relevant to consider the total number of Coastguards available on the growing national network

As of 6 March 2015 this network, and the benefits it delivers, with stretch from Beachy Head to the Mull of Galloway. The transition of the national network around the United Kingdom will be complete by December 2015.

The number of staff that were employed at the two Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) during the dates asked are shown below: