Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee

Meeting date: Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Official Report 579KB pdf

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Coastguard Services

Further transport issues will be put to you at a subsequent committee meeting, minister, but, as you know, members have expressed an interest in raising with you today the United Kingdom Government consultation on modernising the coastguard. Rob Gibson will open our questioning.

Minister, both the maritime rescue co-ordination centres and the coastguard rescue service are pencilled in for major changes that are called modernisation. Has the Scottish Government taken a view on the UK Government proposals?

Yes, we have. We do not support the proposals. I think that it is evident that there is strong cross-party support across the Parliament for a campaign to retain as many of the existing MRCCs as possible. The First Minister raised the issue directly with the Prime Minister when he met him on 14 February. Given that Scotland has around 60 per cent of the UK coastline, it is entirely appropriate to be concerned about a proposal that would see us ending up with only 25 per cent of the cover. The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has written to around 40 stakeholders in the maritime industry, including the coastal councils, to seek views on the proposals. The replies to his letter will help to inform the Government response to the UK Government consultation. We will have to make that response before the Parliament rises. I think that the consultation closes on 24 March, but this session of the Parliament ends on 22 March. There is a copy of the cabinet secretary’s letter on the Scottish Government website. In addition to those who are listed in the letter, we would, of course, welcome the views of any party. We do not support the proposals. We have concerns. We have raised the matter.

Given those concerns, did the First Minister discuss in any detail the increased use that will be made in future of the waters around the region that I represent, the Highlands and Islands, for renewable energy and the entrepôts that are built into our transport infrastructure proposals, which will be used by large vessels that use the northern polar routes and the north Atlantic? The extreme concern that has been expressed in the area about the threatened removal of the coastguard tugs that are presently deployed in those northern waters must be reflected in the evidence that you present.

I do not have a read-out of the exact terms of the discussion between the First Minister and the Prime Minister, but those points have been made to the UK Government in other fora. When the First Minister met the Prime Minister, he will have had in his mind the grounding of the French fishing vessel Jack Abry II and the crashing of the Tornado into the Minch, which highlight the link between the coastguard and the emergency towing vehicles, which provide the comprehensive service that protects lives and the marine environment. The Braer oilspill is one reason why those vessels were put in place.

We are continuing to draw the issue to the UK Government’s attention. As I said, I know that the First Minister raised it with the Prime Minister. I do not know how long they had to discuss it, given that the meeting was for other purposes, but we are pressing the UK Government to review its decision to withdraw funding for that vital service.

We are unconvinced that the shipping industry would be willing or able to take up the slack and to provide cover on a commercial basis. As you may know, a recently leaked Maritime and Coastguard Agency report from 2008 said that that would not be possible and that the existing provision should be maintained. I should add that the MCA is to hold a meeting, hosted by the Scottish Government, to discuss the issue further with a range of stakeholders. It will take place on 4 March.

As there are no further questions, I thank you for your time in answering our questions. Later in the meeting, we will consider the evidence that we have heard from you and other witnesses on road safety, and we may be in touch.

We have additional items to deal with before we let you go, but we will suspend briefly to allow for a change of witnesses.

16:22 Meeting suspended.

16:24 On resuming—