RYA secure tabling of amendment to EU withdrawal bill

RYA secure tabling of amendment to EU withdrawal bill © RYA

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and British Marine are today (19 March 2018) calling on the Government to clarify how it will protect the rights of the UK's recreational boaters after Brexit.

An amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill – due to be debated in the House of Lords later today – would, if passed, oblige the Government to publish a report to Parliament before the UK formally leaves the EU setting out how current freedoms for recreational boaters will be maintained.

The debate on Amendment 227BB will follow months of engagement by RYA with Government departments in an effort to minimise any potential impact of the UK's exit from the European Union on recreational boaters, particularly in the areas of customs procedures, border controls and the ability of seasonal workers to move easily between the UK and the EU.

Over recent months, RYA has worked closely with British Marine to develop a number of policy proposals which would help meet the needs of recreational boaters without compromising the stated negotiating position of the Government. Further detail on these policy proposals is set out below.

Jeanette Hopkins, RYA Director of External Affairs, said: "Many of our 110,000 members have been in touch to ask about the impact that Brexit may have on their boating rights, both here and abroad.

"Today's debate provides an important opportunity for the Government to give much-needed reassurance to the recreational boating community across the UK as the sector looks ahead to life after Brexit.

"The RYA's Cruising, Legal and Government Affairs team has built a solid reputation as a robust, articulate and intelligent voice for the recreational boating sector, and we will continue to engage with the Government throughout the Brexit negotiations to ensure the needs and concerns of the sector are clearly understood."

The RYA firmly believes that failing to address each of the key issues that it has raised would have significant downsides for recreational boaters and marine businesses across the UK. Recreational boaters can find our position on each of these issues in the RYA Current Affairs hub.