MP welcomes health and safety mythbusters panel
Andrew Bridgen welcomes the launch of the mythbusters challenge panel - designed to advise people who have been affected by ridiculous or disproportionate health and safety decisions - and asks the Minister how it will work in practice.
Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con): What progress he has made on implementing the recommendations of the Löfstedt report on health and safety regulation. [104207]
The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Chris Grayling): As my hon. Friends will recall, the Löfstedt review was published last November. We have already made good progress on implementing the report’s key recommendations. Consultation on the repeal or revocation of 21 legislative measures is already under way by the Health and Safety Executive and the Government intend to scrap, consolidate or improve 84% of health and safety regulations, greatly reducing the burdens on business and creating a clearer regulatory framework. In addition, two independent challenge panels have been established, the first to consider complaints from businesses about decisions made by HSE or local authority inspectors. The second will consider problems arising from non-regulators, such as insurance companies, health and safety consultants and employers, and to assess whether those decisions are proportionate and appropriate or whether they are wrong.
Mr Speaker: There is scope for a written ministerial statement, I would have thought.
Andrew Bridgen: It was one, Mr Speaker.
I welcome the launch of the mythbusters challenge panel, designed to give quick advice to people affected by ridiculous or disproportionate health and safety decisions. Will my right hon. Friend explain how that panel will work?
Chris Grayling: What we are trying to do is to give people who believe that a decision that has been taken is wrong—such as a decision to cancel an event or to take some other step that will impact on their lives—a chance to go quickly the HSE and ask whether it is based on a true interpretation. We will seek to give them a clear view within two days of whether the decision is appropriate, so that they can challenge it locally.
