YP Letters: Migrant rules will hit construction and care sectors hard

From: Danny Mortimer, chief executive, NHS Employers.
Will Britain's post-Brexit migration policy be good for the economy?Will Britain's post-Brexit migration policy be good for the economy?
Will Britain's post-Brexit migration policy be good for the economy?

WE strongly support many of the policy recommendations made by the Migration Advisory Committee report, and are pleased the MAC has highlighted the social care funding crisis (The Yorkshire Post, September 19).

The number one priority should be options for social care employers to hire social care workers. It would be completely unacceptable to allow vital services to close under the strain of not having the people required to provide good care, and so we welcome the recognition that sustainable funding would drive improved pay and conditions – and make this sector a much more attractive place to work.

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A youth mobility scheme will simply not be sufficient for a sector employing over 1.5 million people in England, of which 175,000 care workers are from abroad.

We have consistently flagged concerns about extending the Tier 2 system to EEA nationals, so while we welcome the MAC’s recommendation the Tier 2 cap be abolished, without reforming the system beyond this, the NHS and social care will struggle to recruit the staff they need.

From: Brian Berry, chief executive, Federation of Master Builders.

THIS report makes very worrying reading for the tens of thousands of small construction firms across the UK who are already deeply concerned about the skills shortage.

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Its recommendations ignore the pleas of construction employers who have called on the Government to introduce a visa system based on key occupations rather than arbitrary skill levels.

Instead, the proposal is to apply the Tier 2 immigration system to EU workers, which would be disastrous for small and micro construction firms.

Even if tweaked and improved slightly, the Tier 2 system would not make provision for ample numbers of low skilled workers to enter the UK and these are people the industry relies upon.

For the Government to make good on its construction and house building targets, it will need sufficient labourers as well as civil engineers and quantity surveyors.

From: PJ Blackshaw, Cleckheaton.

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I WAS interested to read two letters (The Yorkshire Post, September 13) – the constant whining from John Cole, which epitomises the reactions of typical Remainers, and the common sense of Arthur Quarmby, which is the approach taken by most Brexiteers.