Written question asked by Bill Esterson (Labour) on Monday, 16 May 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 18 May 2011. It was answered by Mike Penning (Conservative) on Tuesday, 7 June 2011 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Rescue Services

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport of 24 March 2011, Official Report, column 343WH, on coastguard services, for what reason the Parliamentary Under-Secretary subsequently wrote to the Chair of the Transport Select Committee on 10 May 2011 to indicate that regular coastguards had been instructed to decline the invitation from the Committee to give oral evidence to its inquiry into the future of the Coastguard Service.

Answer: The purpose of the correspondence with the Chair of the Transport Select Committee (TSC) was to point out that regular Coastguards are civil servants and, as set out in the Civil Service Code, are accountable to Ministers, who in turn are accountable to Parliament. Where civil servants give evidence to Select Committees they are doing so, not in a personal capacity, but as representatives of their Ministers to account for Government policy.However, many Coastguards have submitted their written submissions on the proposals for the modernisation of Her Majesty's Coastguard, either in response to the consultation, or to the TSC, or to both. Additionally serving Coastguards were able to talk with the members of the TSC when the Committee visited three Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres on 18/19 May.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 56469; 529 c190W
Session: 2010-12
Related items: Coastguard Service
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Proceeding contributions
House of Commons
Subjects: Rescue services
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk