Undermanned coastguard stations

Coastguard stations are often understaffed due to a lack of watch officers it is claimed.

In a Westminster debate, isles MP Angus Macneil said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency takes up to eight months to fill vacancies.

Mr Macneil added: “60 or so people came to Stornoway coastguard station in May and June to apply to join the service is good news, but six months later there is still a shortage of staff, and none of those people have been appointed. I am told that that pattern is being repeated across the service.”

Concern over undermanned coastguard stations

7 December 2014

He told MPs: “Although three staff are in the pipeline for Stornoway - they are due to start in February - the reality is that eight more are needed and the glacial pace of recruitment could go on for ever.”

Mr Macneil said one new recruit was being mucked about by the MCA - she gave up her employment she accepted the coastguard job, only for it to become “apparent later that she would have to wait many months, until February, without salaried employment while she waited to start the job with the coastguard.”

The MP said volunteer teams are not getting adequate training because staff cannot be released from the operations rooms due to the ongoing under manning.

After the debate, Mr Macneil said coastguard minister John Hayes would not give a straightforward commitment to look into the problem.