HSE is reviewing aspects of the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) scheme - Request for your feedback
HSE is reviewing aspects of the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) scheme - Request for your feedback
Please be aware that HSE is reviewing aspects of the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) scheme. This is not a review of the legislation itself, and HSE has confirmed its commitment to retaining a licensing regime for adventurous activities involving under-18s.
The review has been prompted by two main factors:
1. Financial sustainability of the licensing scheme
HSE has advised that the current AALA fee structure does not recover the costs of operating the licensing system. Application fees have remained largely unchanged for many years, while government policy increasingly expects regulatory schemes to cover their operating costs. As a result, alternative delivery models are being explored. One proposal would allow providers to commission inspections directly from HSE-approved inspection bodies, rather than relying on a single contracted inspection provider.
2. Whether the current scope remains appropriate
HSE is also reviewing whether current exemptions and activity definitions continue to reflect modern outdoor learning and adventure provision. The proposal presented to sector representatives highlighted the possibility of reducing some existing exemptions and extending the definitions of activities requiring a licence.
The proposals focus on two areas:
Delivery Model
- Moving away from the current single-contractor inspection model.
- Allowing approved inspection bodies to undertake inspections and provide reports directly to licence applicants as part of the application process.
- Providers would choose and pay an approved inspection body, while continuing to pay a reduced AALA application fee.
Scope
- Reviewing whether current exemptions from licensing remain appropriate.
- Considering whether the definitions of activities requiring a licence should be extended or updated to better reflect current practice and recent legal developments.
Action
1. HSE is seeking initial feedback by 6 November and welcomes responses directly via [email protected].
2. AdventureUK is also gathering sector views through a member survey and discussion meeting to help shape a collective response. there is a survey here that you can respond to if you wish to add your views to the AdventureUK AUK Member Response to HSE Announcement – Fill in form
Following this initial feedback, HSE will launch a formal consultation.
