Questions are being raised over the government's decision to close the Portland rescue helicopter by 2015.
VIDEO: They save lives every day - but now the Dorset Search and Rescue helicopter has been thrown a lifeline. The service was due to be axed in the next five years - but now questions are being asked about that decision. Martin Dowse reports.
South Dorset MP Richard Drax gives his reaction to a letter expressing concern about Government plans to scrap the Portland rescue helicopter.
A Commons select committee chairman has written to the Government expressing concerns about the ending of search-and-rescue helicopter services at two bases - one of which is Portland.
In her letter to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, Mrs Ellman said it was not too late to change the plans before the Government's new search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopter contract deal was signed.
The base is due to close before 2015 and be replaced with a regional service based in Fareham in Hampshire. Portland's helicopter attends more than 200 incidents a year.
Questions are being raised over the government's decision to close the Portland rescue helicopter by 2015, replacing it with a regional service based in Fareham. The Transport Committee says it is "surprised and disappointed" by the failure to consult the public.