Reorganisation of the Activities Licensing Authority
As a way of reducing regulation and bureaucracy, particularly on smaller companies, the government commissioned a review of the inspection and regulation sector. In March 2005 the Treasury published the Hampton Report Reducing administrative burdens: effective inspection and enforcement. Its 35 recommendations called for fundamental changes across all aspects of inspection and regulation from independent financial services to food hygiene. One of the recommendations was that 62 existing independent regulators, including the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA), should be merged into 7.... In October of that year the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, announced that the government intended to fully implement Hampton’s recommendations and negotiations began as to how and when this could be achieved. One of the outcomes of these negotiations was the decision that the role of the AALA should be taken on by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). With the announcement that the functions of the Licensing Authority were to be absorbed into HSE the Authority’s Chairman, Sir Brooke Boothby, commented in a press statement: ‘The Licensing Authority is operated as a not-for-profit company by Tourism Quality Services Ltd (TQS). TQS has no problem with any alternative arrangements, so long as the safety of young people undertaking adventure activity is equally well assured.’ Following extensive discussions it was agreed that HSE would take over the role of Licensing Authority but would contract most of the day-to-day functions to TQS. Just before Christmas, HSE and TQS agreed the basis on which TQS will continue to carry out the same functions as in the past but this time on behalf of the Licensing Authority rather than as the Licensing Authority. Details of how this will work operationally are being finalised but it is not expected to cause any inconvenience to Licence holders. They should anticipate business as usual, with the possible exception of a change of name for the organisation they currently refer to as the Licensing Authority.
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