17 November, 2008

ALISTAIR Carmichael, the northern isles MP, has called on the government to review the search and rescue helicopter contract after the local coastguard service was left without its back up aircraft.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency last Friday announced they were withdrawing the second Shetland coastguard chopper Rescue 103 to provide cover on England’s south coast.

Contractor Canadian Helicopters Company (CHC) assured islanders the Sikorsky S92 would only be away until the night time equipment on the Lee on Solent aircraft is fixed.

However Mr Carmichael is furious with the company, which he says has refused to speak to him about the problem.

“I spoke to Jim Fitzpatrick, the transport minister responsible for the coastguard at 9.30am on Saturday morning. Since then I have been trying to speak to CHC senior management but they refuse to talk to me.

“There are serious questions about the level and standard of service that CHC has provided in recent months and people are now asking why they are not prepared to answer them. What does CHC have to hide?

“This is the second time that CHC has defaulted on the service that we were promised. Just a few weeks ago the whole service went offline for several hours and now we are told that Shetland is to be left without a backup helicopter in November, as the winter weather sets in.

“I question seriously the fitness of CHC to provide this service and I am asking the minister and the MCA to review the contract under which they were given the job.”

Mr Carmichael has called on CHC to publish in full the risk assessment they carried out before withdrawing the backup Sikorsky.

He is also demanding an explanation from the MCA why their contract with CHC does not stipulate having a backup aircraft as part of its minimum standard of service.

“I am told that the contract does have a clause preventing CHC from discussing the service without MCA permission. It would seem that the MCA were more concerned with news management than with providing an adequate service when this contract was drawn up,” he said.

“This vitally important service is in danger of being ruined by the inadequacy of the MCA senior management and the determination of CHC to exploit their weakness.”