As you all know, Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (MRPQ) was left out of the BREXIT Trade & Cooperation Agreement, leaving regulators and professional bodies like us to enter into bilateral negations with each EU country individually, which we’ve been working on to the best of our ability.

We’ve also been working hard behind the scenes to lobby on our member’s behalf alongside our partners, Seasonal Businesses in Travel (SBiT), and several other alpine governing bodies (e.g. The British Mountaineering Council and British Mountain Guides) for the UK government to support us in setting up MRPQ.

This week the new Profession Qualifications Bill received its 2nd reading in the House of Lords. Lord Moynihan took the opportunity to highlight challenges faced by snowsport professionals in the EU and to specifically request governmental support in setting up these bilateral agreements from the U.K. Assistance Centre, rather than leaving organisations like us to do it on our own.

Here’s the footage of him from Parliament TV, along with some other the relevant sections of the debate – such as a summary of the purpose of the Professional Qualifications Bill, reaction to the government’s approach, Lord Moynihan’s statement and the response to this from the Minister of State for BEIS. It’s not too long – about 16 mins – so grab yourself a cuppa and have a watch. We think it covers the key issues either caused or exacerbated by Brexit.

The longer-term aim is to achieve a master agreement with the EU which covers MRPQ, working rights and mobility and we want the UK Government’s commitment to support organisations like us to gain this.

None of this would be possible without our members, so we thank you for your continued support as we lobby and negotiate on your behalf. We’ll continue to keep you informed of any updates.