Coastguard Act 1925

In 1922 a inter-departmental committee appointed by the treasury reported that a newly constituted CG service should be established

"A coast watching force to perform duties in connection with saving of life, the salvage of wreck, the administration of foreshores and certain miscellaneous duties to be administered by the Board of Trade".


The recommendations of the Committee were adopted and received statutory sanction in the CG act 1925. the act specifies the cg responsibilities to include
saving of life
salvage of wreck
administration of foreshores
such duties as may be defined by the board.


The coastguard act is seen as an enabling act, which in modern times gives the Secretary of state the authority to determine the duties of HM Coastguard to meet current requirements.
HM Coastguards role and responsibilities were specified by the Secretary of state in a statement laid before Parliament in 1992 as:
"HM Coastguard has a statutory duty under the CG Act 1925 to be responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of civil maritime search and rescue with the UK Maritime search and rescue region. This includes the mobilisation, organisation and tasking of adequate resources to respond to persons either in distress at sea or persons at risk of injury or death on the cliffs or shoreline of the UK