Carmichael raises crippling labour shortages for fishing in Parliament

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today highlighted “crippling” labour shortages in the fishing industry in questions to the immigration minister in Parliament. During an Urgent Question on recently published net migration figures, Mr Carmichael highlighted a local case of a fisherman who has had to sell one of his two vessels due to changes to work visa requirements making it impossible to secure enough skilled crew.

Speaking in the House Mr Carmichael said:

“Instead of sitting in Whitehall persuading people that this is some sort of threat to them, why doesn’t the minister get out and talk to the businesses in communities like mine that are crippled because of labour shortages?

“He first promised me a meeting to talk about the issue of visas for deckhands in the fishing industry in May. He’s obvious scared – because he’s never met me yet – to sit across the table from people in my constituency, 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. That’s the reality of his failure.”

Responding, the Minister for Immigration Robert Jenrick MP said:

“The gentleman obviously missed our announcement earlier this year where we did add various occupations to the Shortage Occupation List, as a result of a very helpful meeting with other colleagues which he didn’t come to.”

Reacting after the exchange, Mr Carmichael said:

“Clearly the minister only finds it convenient to meet with people who share his prejudices and his disinterest in the needs of our communities. Fishing groups in my community and across the country were ready to meet with minister Jenrick earlier in the year and he has fobbed them off time and again. He cannot keep avoiding meetings with those affected by his decisions. Every week that goes by deepens the losses imposed on fishermen in the isles.

“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.

“The minister talks about a broken immigration system as though he were not in the government that broke it. Either the minister is misrepresenting the changes made to fishing worker visas or he does not understand them himself. Neither would surprise me at this point.”