Outdoor Education Advisers' Panel

ADVENTUROUS ACTIVITIES AND THE EU WORKING AT HEIGHT DIRECTIVE

House of Commons Wednesday 30th June 2004
Notice of Early Day Motion 789

789 ADVENTUROUS ACTIVITIES AND THE EU WORKING AT HEIGHT DIRECTIVE 8:3:04
 Dr Julian Lewis
 Pete Wishart
 Mr Peter Luff
 Mr John Randall
 Mr David Laws
 Mr Robert Key
 * 80
  Chris Grayling Mr Bill Wiggin
   
That this House is surprised and concerned at the attitude of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in respect of EU Directive 2001/45/EC laying down safety rules for working with ladders and ropes; notes the sensible approach of other EU countries, which realise that the Directive was never intended to cover outdoor adventurous activities such as rock-climbing, caving and mountaineering, let alone high-wire circus acts; deplores the failure thus far to rule such activities as being outside the scope of the proposed regulations; and accordingly calls on the HSE to abandon such gold-plating of sensible suggestions, which reduces them to absurdity.