Recommendation 3: There should be regular assessments by HM Coastguard of the adequacy of the available assets and human resources to respond to both current and reasonably foreseeable levels of small boat activity. Where the forecast level of resourcing need cannot be delivered within budget, the position must be escalated rapidly to the Department for Transport. HMCG recognises the importance of regular assessments and has the following operational measures in place for the review of assets: • SAR asset availability (surface vessels and aircraft) is assessed daily, and every watch assesses asset allocation at the start of and throughout their watch. Should availability of assets change (e.g. due to technical defect), contingency measures will be implemented as required. • The network resource (Dover, JRCC, and Humber) is used to support unpredicted small boat crossings. This allows incidents to be coordinated from specific sites that have experience with small boat crossings rather than flexing through using any location in the network, ensuring critical resilience. The measures outlined in response to Recommendation 1 support situational awareness if the JRCC or Humber MRCC is coordinating incidents. • Network Commanders dynamically allocate staffing resources across the network to ensure the best possible response to incidents, especially during high-demand or complex situations. • Biannual MCA reviews of overall adequacy of resourcing to meet projected demand. The MCA formally presents all key risks for discussion to the DfT’s MCA sponsorship board (chaired by the responsible Director General) on a quarterly basis. MCA also shares its monthly Executive risk report, enabling discussion and escalation of MCA risks up through DfT’s risk management structures as required to ensure sufficient sight within the Department. MCA is also able to communicate emerging or worsening risks as needed directly at any point in the quarterly cycle. There is regular engagement between the responsible DfT Director General and the MCA CEO, as well as the responsible DfT Director and MCA CEO and Chair. There is also frequent engagement between the DfT sponsorship team and MCA officials (both MCA’s central governance team and other operational leads). When risks or issues are identified where joint action or DfT support is required, MCA and DfT officials work closely at all levels to identify and implement solutions.