THAMES BOATMASTERS

That this House recognises the valuable work of skilled and experienced Thames boatmasters in ensuring safe travel on the Thames; acknowledges the crucial support they provide the economy, particularly the tourism industry, and transport in London; is concerned that this service to the capital and the livelihoods of boatmasters could be threatened by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's proposal to hold compulsory re-tests of experienced boatmasters for operation of vessels between Margaretness and Putney; notes that no such testing or revalidation appears to be required in other inland waterways of the UK and is not a legal requirement; regards the proposal for re-tests as an overzealous interpretation of the law which risks penalising unfairly experienced boatmasters who do not have experience of formal, classroom-based examinations; supports both the highest possible safety standards and an experienced workforce on the Thames; and calls on the Government and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to engage constructively with the Thames boatmasters to reach a solution which preserves the existing skills and experience of boatmasters.