Tier 2 Boatmaster Licences

[Ceejay]

I e-mailed the MCA, last Wednesday, to ask for an update on when the new Tier 2 licences were likely to become available, as they had previously stated that they hoped to have them in place by Spring 2012. Here is their reply:

We are in the process of drafting amending Regulations (to introduce the T2L2 BML). As a simplistic overview once the draft Regulations are ready they will go out for a formal round of public consultation combined with departmental scrutiny before they can be enshrined into law and available for issue.

The amending Regulations are not expected into force until at least October 2013.

This situation has come about because the old system for issuing licences was done away with in 2007, being replaced with a national system which proved unsuitable for the needs of many local operators, due to the qualifying provisions being too onerous. This in turn led to a shortage of qualified local boatmaster licence holders. The process of putting things right is taking years to complete.
The vessel that I work on currently has an exemption which allows me to be in charge in the absence of a BML holder. The situation is that the current exemption expires next February, having run for three years. At that time it will be extended, presumably for a further three years after which, if the new regime is in place, I will be examined by the MCA to ascertain whether I am competent to perform the duties that I have by that time been employed to do during the preceding six years. This examination will probably be very similar, if not identical, to the one that I took to gain the exemption. If I am successful, I will be given a Boatmaster Tier 2 Level 2 licence.
Does it really have to take so long to put things right? Surely there must have been a more common sense solution.
CJ