PM announces review of health and safety laws
David Cameron has announced the appointment of the
Right Honourable Lord Young of Graffham as Adviser to the Prime Minister on
health and safety law and practice against a background of concerns about the
rise of a compensation culture over the last ten years.
Lord Young will undertake a Whitehall-wide review
of the operation of health and safety laws and the growth of the compensation
culture. He is expected to report to the
Prime Minister in the summer of this year and will investigate concerns over
the application and perception of health and safety legislation, together with
the rise of the compensation culture over the last decade. Lord Young will work
with the appropriate government departments to bring his proposals into effect.
He will continue to report regularly to the Prime Minister on progress.
Commenting on the
review David Cameron said: “I’m very pleased that Lord Young has agreed to lead
this important review. The rise of the compensation culture over the last ten
years is a real concern, as is the way health and safety rules are sometimes
applied”. Lord Young said: “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. I hope my review will reintroduce an element of
common sense and focus the regulation where it is most needed. We need a system
that is proportionate and not bureaucratic.”
June 2010
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