In reply to cannichoutdoors: What is her interest in this matter? She doesn't have what the lawyers call
locus standi, a right to be involved. She no longer holds public office and can't claim to speak for anyone but herself. The cynical view is that she's using this for self-publicity. If she is genuinely concerned, then this is misinformed and misguided.
The correct response to her is "Thank you for your concern, but it's none of your business what we do. We are well aware of the risks, do what we can to mitigate them, and accept that sometimes things go wrong. When they do, it is volunteers from the mountaineering community itself who come to the rescue. We take care of our own. The amount of public money involved in mountain rescue is trivial, and far outweighed by the economic benefit from mountain tourism, and the contribution the MRTs make to society by rescuing random numpties who wander into the hills, and by supporting the official emergency services when an incident occurs more than a few yards from a road. So kindly mind your own business."