The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
RAF helicopter cuts ‘put lives in danger’
THE PROPOSED ending of search and rescue services at RAF Boulmer in Northumberland combined with the recent closure of Forth Coastguard is “foolish” and could cost lives in the North Sea, politicians warned last night.
A Commons select committee chairman has written to the Government expressing concerns about the ending of search and rescue helicopter services at Boulmer and Portland in Dorset.
It comes as the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee today publishes a report stating it is very worried about the decision to close Forth and Clyde Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres and says the UK Government must do more to explain the rationale for the decision.
Last night North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell said: “Search and rescue facilities at RAF Boulmer have consistently made an outstanding contribution to dealing with emergencies on land and sea.
“It is inevitable that when a facility like the one at Boulmer closes, and you have massive reorganisation of Coastguard provision round the shores of Great Britain, that there will be justifiable anxiety about safety.
“Reductions in the defence budget inevitably mean an impact on capability, but we should never put financial savings above safety.”
NORTH EAST Fife MSP Rod Campbell said:“The decision to close the Forth MRCC was always a dangerous gamble.
“To compound that with the possible closure of an emergency base that covers the areas the Forth Coastguard once patrolled, however, is foolish.
“The change of services from Forth, to Aberdeen, is still in the early stages and to add further risk and uncertainty on top of that would not be welcome at this time.
“The people of North East Fife, and everybody who lives along this vast stretch of water, must know they can be quickly rescued in an emergency.
“The UK Government’s decision to remove key services means this will not be the case.
“It is in everybody’s best interest for the UK Government to change its proposals and ensure Scotland’s coastline is safe, and ably served.”
In her letter to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, Commons transport committee chairman Louise Ellman said the search and rescue closures “may cost lives”.
Mrs Ellman’s committee is also seeking answers to a number of questions including the specification of the new SAR helicopter contract.
Meanwhile, the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee is “deeply concerned” about the Coastguard changes and says that despite an extensive Government consultation, those on the frontline felt they had been excluded from the process.
It says there has been no satisfactory explanation for the decision to close Clyde and Forth MRCCs. Since the closure of Forth Coastguard at Fife Ness on September 28, east coast waters, including Tayside and Fife, have been controlled from Aberdeen.
The committee is particularly concerned at the loss of local knowledge resulting from the closures.
It says the Government has “clearly failed” so far to make a convincing case for, or carry public opinion on, the changes to HM Coastguard, and must do more to provide reassurance to seafarers who may need to contact the coastguard in an emergency.
Both the minister and the chief executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have assured the committee that robust and extensive testing was being done before the closure of Clyde Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to ensure that the stations taking over its area of responsibility would do so seamlessly and continue to provide the level of search and rescue cover which the public has a right to expect.
Last night a spokesman for the RNLI said:”The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has assured the RNLI that their new structure will not affect the lifesaving service our charity provides around the coast of the UK and Republic of Ireland and our volunteers will continue to receive the information they need to save lives at sea.
“Some of our lifeboats may be requested to launch by a different coastguard coordination centre, but this should not affect our ability to launch as efficiently and effectively as we do now.”