Alison Seabeck MP

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Petition Launched to Oppose Deregulation of Adventure Activities

Alison Seabeck MP has joined forces with local councillors and campaigners to oppose Government plans to Remove Regulation of Activity Centres

Campaigners have launched a petition on the No.10 web site, in the hope that if they can gain 100,000 signatures the Government will be forced to re-think its plans and debate this in the House of Commons. 

The link to the petition is
Keeping Our Young People Safe - Oppose the Repeal of the Adventure Activities Licensing Act http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/24819

The original Bill was brought to Parliament by Alison predecessor David Jamieson following the tragic death of four teenagers in the Lyme Bay canoeing tragedy in March 1993.

The Government proposes to remove the licensing of adventure activities (trekking, water sports, caving and climbing) for young people under the age of 18 and instead introduce a code of practice that the HSE will oversee and monitor.

Alison said “We have a duty of care to our Children.  In 1993 four teenagers from Southway were killed.  We must ensure that this never happens again.  In the period following this tragedy and the introduction of the Act in 1995 the Conservative Government and the HSE had argued that further regulation or statutory accreditation was un-necessary.  This was despite the Activity Centres Advisory Committee, Association of County Councils, Education Select Committee, Unions and others organisations demands for statutory regulation”.

“I am thankful that due to David Jamieson MP’s persistence legislation was passed to protect young people who are undertaking these adventure activities.  I am deeply concerned that his hard work is about to be undermined by the repeal of the Act and that young people’s safety will once more be put at risk.  In 1994 the HSE published a report stating that 24% of centres did not have a written safety policy, 13% had not undertaken any risk assessment and 16% did not provide training for their instructors.  Licensing is necessary to protect lives”.