Scotland’s fishing industry is ‘at the mercy of a lottery of London priorities,’ said Isles SNP MP Angus MacNeil this week, as a proposal to support skippers to crew their boats was rejected by the UK Fisheries Minister.
Mr MacNeil and other MPs urged James Brokenshire to allow fishing vessels facing crew shortages to recruit temporary workers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA).
However, Mr Brokenshire has refused to consider any such scheme to assist the industry.
Mr MacNeil said: “This is a very disappointing response from the minister especially
as we outlined the position to Mr Brokenshire in December. Skippers in Na h-
He added: “A solution to this issue was identified by my colleagues and I -
In a letter to Mr MacNeil, Mr Brokenshire says responsibility for labour supply issues
in the fishing industry is an issue for the industry itself to resolve. He adds that
‘entrenching a dependence on non-
Mr MacNeil said: “The minister has washed his hands of this pressing issue facing many Scottish and Northern Irish skippers. The UK government are unwilling to assist, even though they are able to. Our fishing industry is at the mercy of a lottery of London priorities and we need control over this in Scotland.”
Scotland’s fishing industry ‘at mercy of a lottery of London priorities’ says MP
29 April 2016