The government today set out its intention to review UK Health and Safety Laws. Mr Cameron is perceived to be somewhat sceptical of UK Health and Safety Laws, and has previously said the UK is "saturated" by them. The review will be led by Lord Young of Graffham, a former trade and industry Secretary of State under Margaret Thatcher during the 1980's. Lord Young has said that the system and the approach thereto has to be 'proportionate and not bureaucratic." He will be providing the Prime Minister with regular updates on progress.
The review has been met with some reluctance by Unions, who have warned against attacks on any legislation that protects staff at work. The review is expected to publish its findings in summer and will primarily investigate concerns over the 'application and perception' of health and safety legislation and its connections (if any) with the increasing 'compensation culture' in the United Kingdom, during the last decade.
Prime Minister Cameron has said: "The rise of the compensation culture over the last 10 years is a real concern, as is the way health and safety rules are sometimes applied. We need a sensible new approach that makes clear these laws are intended to protect people, not overwhelm businesses with red tape. I look forward to receiving Lord Young's recommendations on how we can best achieve that."
Lord Young went on to state that "Health and safety regulation is essential in many industries but may well have been applied too generally and have become an unnecessary burden on firms, but also community organisations and public services. I hope my review will reintroduce an element of common sense and focus the regulation where it is most needed."
We will monitor Lord Young's progress with interest.
This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq
Law-Now information is for general purposes and guidance only. The information and opinions expressed in all Law-Now articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent developments.
The original publication date for this article was 14/06/2010.
