[Stronsaylimpet] Extract from Alistair Carmichael's week in Westminster

[Limpet editor]

*Challenging a swerving immigration minister*

The issue of fishing worker visas has become increasingly urgent for 
fishermen since the government rushed through new restrictions earlier 
this year. As I pointed out in the Commons this week 
<https://click.ngpvan.com/k/74513195/441804715/535907756?nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9MSUJVSy9MSUJVSy8xLzM4NTM1IiwNCiAgIkRpc3RyaWJ1dGlvblVuaXF1ZUlkIjogIjVhMTNjYWY2LTA5OTItZWUxMS04OTI1LTAwMjI0ODIyM2YzNiIsDQogICJFbWFpbEFkZHJlc3MiOiAicmljYXJkaWFuQGNsYXJlbW9udHN0cm9uc2F5LmNvLnVrIg0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=DW1xYAx1avHGHL9Vefa1haRnTPtzEONJEi6o4akFOl8=&emci=24f1c0a4-f891-ee11-8925-002248223f36&emdi=5a13caf6-0992-ee11-8925-002248223f36&ceid=397233>, 
the immigration minister Robert Jenrick first promised me a meeting to 
talk about the issue in May.

He’s obviously scared to hold that meeting, because he’s never met me 
yet! Perhaps he simply does not want to sit across the table from people 
like the skipper of a crab boat in Orkney, who has had to sell one of 
his two boats because he can’t get the crew to work on it.

Because of this government’s decisions a local business is being forced 
to downsize and a vital part of the isles economy has been harmed. Alone 
it would be bad enough, but it is a scenario which I suspect more than a 
few skippers will be contemplating now or in the future, if this problem 
continues. Ministers cannot swerve the rest of us forever.

*Government backs down on fishing medical certificate requirements*

In better news for the catching sector, this week saw concessions made 
by the government on its planned medical certificate requirements. The 
change allows greater flexibility and “grandfather” rights for 
fishermen, and an extension of the deadline to secure those rights to 30 
April 2024.

It is good that the government has seen sense but it would have been 
better to have had some common sense from the start – rather than at the 
last possible minute. This constant veering from poorly planned policy 
to embarrassing U-turns is no way to give confidence for the industry. 
Fishermen have been in fear for their livelihoods under pressure from 
the government.

I hope that this will be the start of a more open-minded and informed 
approach from the Department for Transport under the new minister. The 
government needs to step up and engage properly with fishermen so that 
we do not see this sort of cackhanded policy fiasco again.
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