To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the last time was that (a) Ministers and (b) Officials from her Department visited Greenock Jobcentre to discuss the roll-out of Universal Credit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the last time was that (a) Ministers and (b) Officials from her Department visited Greenock Jobcentre to discuss the roll-out of Universal Credit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to sell the former Coastguard building in Greenock; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to sell the former Coastguard building in Greenock; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the sale of Royal Navy buildings in Greenock which were formerly occupied by the Coastguard; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the sale of Royal Navy buildings in Greenock which were formerly occupied by the Coastguard; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made in discussions between his Department and the preferred bidder for his Department's building at Greenock formerly used by the coastguard.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made in discussions between his Department and the preferred bidder for his Department's building at Greenock formerly used by the coastguard.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current status of the Royal Naval buildings in Greenock is; and what future plans he has for these buildings.

[165000]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current status of the Royal Naval buildings in Greenock is; and what future plans he has for these buildings.

[165000]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre Clyde was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in September and October 2012.

[129282]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre Clyde was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in September and October 2012.

[129282]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many hours Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Belfast will have had complete operational control of areas of coast currently co-ordinated by MRCC Clyde prior to November 2012.

[129283]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many hours Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Belfast will have had complete operational control of areas of coast currently co-ordinated by MRCC Clyde prior to November 2012.

[129283]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Belfast and MRCC Stornoway staff will have been examined on their knowledge of the areas of coast currently co-ordinated by MRCC Clyde by the end of 2012.

[129284]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Belfast and MRCC Stornoway staff will have been examined on their knowledge of the areas of coast currently co-ordinated by MRCC Clyde by the end of 2012.

[129284]

Adjournment debate on Greenock Coastguard Station.

Adjournment debate on Greenock Coastguard Station.

That is exactly the point I am trying to make: this has not come out of the blue. The coastguard representatives there, in front of the hon. Gentleman, me and everybody else assembled there, said that they had previously suggested having nine centres around the country. If the hon. Gentleman...

That is exactly the point I am trying to make: this has not come out of the blue. The coastguard representatives there, in front of the hon. Gentleman, me and everybody else assembled there, said that they had previously suggested having nine centres around the country. If the hon. Gentleman...

Given the age profile, will not many of those working in such stations have done so for many years and often have family commitments and other connections? They cannot simply uproot and move 200, 300, 400 or 500 miles away. They will not go, and that expertise will be lost...

Given the age profile, will not many of those working in such stations have done so for many years and often have family commitments and other connections? They cannot simply uproot and move 200, 300, 400 or 500 miles away. They will not go, and that expertise will be lost...

I agree with my hon. Friend. I am trying to get the Minister to provide more detail on the reasoning behind the proposals. I am strongly of the view that we need a geographical spread of coastguard stations and that we need more than one in Scotland. I have not...

I agree with my hon. Friend. I am trying to get the Minister to provide more detail on the reasoning behind the proposals. I am strongly of the view that we need a geographical spread of coastguard stations and that we need more than one in Scotland. I have not...

Perhaps the hon. Lady's concern about stations on all parts of the coastline echoes her comments about the transferability of staff. Does she agree that local knowledge is critical to the successful operation of coastguard services?

Perhaps the hon. Lady's concern about stations on all parts of the coastline echoes her comments about the transferability of staff. Does she agree that local knowledge is critical to the successful operation of coastguard services?

My hon. Friend is obviously correct that, often, not just one individual working in a household will be affected. Relationships will be complicated, and frankly, many people will simply not be in a position to move. Indeed, I suspect that that will probably more often be the case at coastguard...

My hon. Friend is obviously correct that, often, not just one individual working in a household will be affected. Relationships will be complicated, and frankly, many people will simply not be in a position to move. Indeed, I suspect that that will probably more often be the case at coastguard...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way, and I assure her that this is my last intervention. On the question of having one or two coastguard stations, just to make it clear, I am sure that she does not mean to suggest that we want the Aberdeen...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way, and I assure her that this is my last intervention. On the question of having one or two coastguard stations, just to make it clear, I am sure that she does not mean to suggest that we want the Aberdeen...

I agree with my hon. Friend, and I commend the work that he has undertaken in relation to the Forth coastguard station. In this debate I will be asking a number of questions specifically about why Clyde has been proposed for closure, but hon. Members on both sides of the...

I agree with my hon. Friend, and I commend the work that he has undertaken in relation to the Forth coastguard station. In this debate I will be asking a number of questions specifically about why Clyde has been proposed for closure, but hon. Members on both sides of the...

I, too, congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. Does she agree that one of the characteristics of this debate in so far as it affects Greenock—and the constituents of mine who sometimes work out of the Clyde station and other coastguard stations—is that strong and reasoned arguments have...

I, too, congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. Does she agree that one of the characteristics of this debate in so far as it affects Greenock—and the constituents of mine who sometimes work out of the Clyde station and other coastguard stations—is that strong and reasoned arguments have...

The constituents of mine who work at Greenock and other members of staff—I have spoken to them on several occasions over the years—were not involved in any way with the proposals, and that is one of the concerns that has been expressed up and down the country. The proposals do...

The constituents of mine who work at Greenock and other members of staff—I have spoken to them on several occasions over the years—were not involved in any way with the proposals, and that is one of the concerns that has been expressed up and down the country. The proposals do...

I add my congratulations to my hon. Friend on securing this important debate on the future of Greenock. Does she know whether staff or former staff at Greenock were involved in drawing up the proposals that inform the consultation? That is a concern that has been raised with me by...

I add my congratulations to my hon. Friend on securing this important debate on the future of Greenock. Does she know whether staff or former staff at Greenock were involved in drawing up the proposals that inform the consultation? That is a concern that has been raised with me by...

I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. The terms of the civil service relocation package do not necessarily make relocation an attractive option, particularly for those living in areas where accommodation is comparatively cheap and for whom the available options are probably not attractive.

I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. The terms of the civil service relocation package do not necessarily make relocation an attractive option, particularly for those living in areas where accommodation is comparatively cheap and for whom the available options are probably not attractive.