00:00The Coast Guards and my constituency were told only last week that they are to lose their
00:06remuneration, and they are furious that their specialist skills and their dedication are
00:11now being undervalued. I heard the Minister say earlier on that he was prepared to meet
00:16colleagues from across the House. I hope that is extended to colleagues with all Coast Guard
00:20stations, because the assessment of the risks to recruitment and retention, and also to
00:26the work of other emergency services, such as the police, needs to be very clearly understood.
00:32Well, I thank the Honourable Lady for her question, and it reflects the strength of feeling across
00:37the House, both for the support we have for our volunteers who man the Coast Guard, but
00:41also what work we need to do to make sure that the consequences of this judgment are fully
00:45understood and that volunteers get the support they need. I would be very glad to meet with
00:49her. I should also note from members that the Chief Executive of the MCA will be doing
00:54a drop-in with members of Parliament. I will assure that the details are shared with her.
Comments