Alison Hume, the Labour MP for Scarborough and Whitby, told Parliament on Wednesday that CROs were “seriously concerned about the future of the service”.
“These CROs bring decades-long experience and routinely respond to complex call-outs including, sadly, suicide.”
In response, Keir Mather, Selby’s MP and the minister for aviation, maritime and decarbonisation, thanked Hume for her “doggedly determined” support of CROs and acknowledged the impact of traumatic call-outs.
The Conservative MP for Beverley and Holderness, Graham Stuart, recalled an incident in January during which three people died in Withernsea.
“Through that day and late into the night, coastguard rescue officers fought in the most terrible conditions to save lives,” Stuart said.
“They did so out of duty, not for renumeration.
“When thousands and thousands of people go to the coast from this summer onwards, how can the minister ensure that they can continue to rely on courageous Coastguard rescue officers in future, as they’ve been able to in the past?”
Mather paid tribute to the CROs’ “phenomenal public service” and agreed that there was an “urgent need to address this issue now”.
Earlier, he had said the situation “requires a bespoke response”, which could include a “carve out” despite legal complexities.
He said there was “no perfect solution” but that he would “consider in the long term how our Coastguard volunteers can be recognised”.