00:00The economy of Gwynedd is highly dependent on tourism, especially in our coastal communities and the Llyn Peninsula and the
00:05Meirionydd coast, as well, of course, as the uplands of Arari.
00:08Just to give a snapshot of the degree of impact in terms of population numbers, the year-round population of
00:14Abersoch in Llyn is 600 people.
00:16This multiplies by 50 to 50,000 people in the summer.
00:20The volunteer rescue services and the salaried blue light teams are under immense pressure to deal with these numbers as
00:26things stand.
00:27Keeping the public safe under such pressures requires a close-knit response from people who know their local coast and
00:34country like the back of their hands.
00:36People who are prepared to turn out at short notice and who are fully trained to bring a professional response
00:41to an ever-changing environment and hazardous challenges.
00:45Gwynedd has eight Coast Guard stations at Aberdaran, Abersoch, Bangor, Barmuth, Crickith, Llandorog, Portentline and Tawin, with at least 80
00:53volunteer Coast Guard rescue officers in the county.
00:55These Coast Guard rescue teams provide a central emergency response capability across the Welsh coastline, including search and rescue, missing
01:03person operations, flood response, cliff and mud rescues.
01:07They coordinate with North Wales Police and the Transport Police, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and the Welsh Ambulance
01:12Service, and also with volunteers from the RNLI and Mountain and Cave rescue teams.
01:18They even attended the Taladvik train accident, where there was a fatality in 2024.
01:23Now, the public does not distinguish between these services.
01:27They see emergency responders.
01:29They see uniforms and the kit, and they trust them, sometimes with their lives.
01:33I thank you, Madam Member, for giving away.
01:35Of course, the Coast Guard rescue officers responded to 171 incidents last year, and, you know, my admiration goes out
01:44to them, as it does to my honourable members, Coast Guard.
01:47Does my honourable member agree with me and my constituents view that maritime and Coast Guard agencies had a number
01:53of options available to them and just chose to blatantly ignore any of them and, instead, put the burden on
01:59the CRO's shoulders and families?
02:00And this is not good enough.
02:02I agree with her entirely.
02:03One of the things that's been suggested to me by a CRO is to look at the model for retained
02:07firefighters, and I would wonder whether that's something that the Minister might consider.
02:11Obviously, there will be certain issues with it, but there have been models suggested by the CROs themselves.
02:16So, starting from the obvious evidence I've already been able to give that we need CROs, let me pass on
02:21what they told me about the proposed changes.
02:24Teams will be put under extra pressure when, not if, some members can't attend incidents because they'll be out of
02:30pocket, whether they're working or whatever reason.
02:32The same, exact same question will arise over essential training sessions.
02:36We will risk losing officers with decades of experience, skills and local knowledge.
02:41Emergency response times will increase when neighbouring teams are called in because local officers are not available.
02:46We already know this happens with the fire service on occasion.
02:49Recruitment will be hit as new team members are required to do 10 days training without remuneration.
02:54This will reduce the pool of people who can afford and are willing to do this.
02:58Morale will fall even further.
03:01CROs already feel isolated and ignored.
03:03And I'd like to quote what one CRO told me.
03:05And we've been careful here because we didn't want to have their names on record because we've already heard that
03:10they are being threatened by management,
03:13which is frankly an appalling.
03:14It's giving us a role here as MPs.
03:16We have to put the words, we have to say the words which really should be coming from their mouths.
03:20And he told me people sacrificing time that could be spent with family to go out in all weather at
03:26any time of day or night to carry out all manner of rescues from a dog on a cliff to
03:32recovering dead bodies.
03:33That's what these people do.
03:35Now, I have already asked the government and written questions whether it has assessed how many CROs are likely to
03:41leave the service,
03:42the impact on public safety and the long-term sustainability of the Coast Guard if it were to operate on
03:48a wholly volunteer model.
03:50The government has not provided me with any answers to these questions.
03:54Therefore, I ask them again to the Minister today and I look forward to hearing his response.
03:58Thank you very much.
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