Having met with the Maritime Minister, the Secretary of State and the Fisheries Minister on many occasions to raise my concerns around fishers' medical certificates, I was pleased to receive a letter from the Maritime Minister yesterday detailing several concessions which the Department for Transport has made on the implementation of ML5 medical certificates for smaller vessels.
This letter confirmed changes will be made to the visual standard, an extension will be applied for those with grandfather rights, a pilot will be launched to better understand the impact of working at sea on those with insulin-dependent diabetes, and a change will be made to the restrictions placed on those with high BMI.
I have long campaigned on this issue – it is unnecessary bureaucracy and stress to fishermen which will not make going to sea any safer. This progress is welcome and shows the Government is listening to the concerns expressed by me and likeminded colleagues across parliament. I know there is more to do and I will continue to engage with the inshore fleet, in particular, on this issue going forward.
Please see the attached letter for further information.