The Scottish Community Safety Network has added it’s support to a new campaign by our friends at RoSPA to oppose the Retained EU Law Bill.

The Retained EU Law Bill (REUL), currently going through parliament, threatens to abolish approximately 4000 pieces of longstanding legal protections on 31 December. This would spell catastrophe for the health and safety of our families and communities and no doubt cost lives too… UNLESS we can get ministers to oppose the Bill!

How the REUL Bill will change lives in the UK

RoSPA has identified over 300 pieces of vital legislation that apply to UK health and safety regulations which are of particularly serious concern to our national and personal safety. One of the most alarming examples which will fundamentally change lives in the UK is rules on child and adult seatbelts.

RoSPA CEO Errol Taylor said: “The UK is currently one of the best countries in terms of overall road traffic fatalities and there is no G20 country without seatbelt laws. On 1 Jan 24, we could be the first country in the G20 to lose crucial seatbelt law. The simple fact that we are having to highlight this further demonstrates the Government’s plans are rushed and ill-conceived.”

What the Bill means for UK businesses

The speed at which government wants to proceed with the Bill means it’s not simply the cost to life that poses a risk, but also the cost to industry. The legal confusion and uncertainty shrouding the Bill, combined with varying interpretations of the law, is set to leave businesses in the dark when it comes to compliance. It is therefore natural to draw the conclusion that the financial implications of the Bill, with potential prosecutions and settlements, stand to be astronomical. Not only this, but businesses rely on their people, so the need for you to stand up and protect your workers is now greater than ever.

What are we calling for?

We believe the Bill’s timeframe must be extended so that health and safety specialists can develop what came before, and produce improved, evidence-founded laws that will ensure that nothing relating to the intrinsic safety of Britain’s people is allowed to go up in smoke.

Focusing attention on the issue of safety specifically ahead of the detailed examination of the Bill at the Committee Stage (due to commence on 23 February), we’re adopting a dual-pronged approach:

  • Extend the Government’s commitment to safety: Asking that the Government’s commitment to: “protecting workers’ rights in matters of health and safety in the workplace” pledged by Lord Callanan, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 14 February 2020 to 7 February 2023, is extended to also cover the safety and health of the public more broadly, including while at home and on the road.
  • Amend the Bill: Strengthening this ask by seeking to insert the following new Clause, after Clause 3: Health and safety impact assessments. The Secretary of State must publish a health and safety impact assessment for each piece of EU-derived legislation, and retained direct EU legislation, at least 90 days before it is to be revoked

You can find out more about the campaign and sign up to support it by visiting: https://www.rospa.com/campaigns-and-fundraising/current-campaigns/protect-our-people

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