Health and safety bodies have urged MPs to think again about the ‘ill-conceived’ Retained EU Law Bill, complaining that the REUL Bill creates uncertainty as to what will and will not remain in UK law – including swathes of employment practice – beyond the end of 2023.
Among the European Union-era laws that could go under the Bill by the end of the year are the 1999 Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations; rules on toy safety and food labelling; 1993 Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts By Children in Front Seats) Regulations; and 2012 Control of Asbestos Regulations. Workers in the UK will still be covered by the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), as well as common law.
Peter McGettrick, Chairman of British Safety Council, said: “Politicians on all sides should act in the interests of the British people when it comes to keeping people safe, the first duty of any Government. That’s why MPs should stand up for people’s safety and oppose the ill-conceived Retained EU Law Bill, which threatens to open a legal black hole in our statute book.
“These are the regulations which give people rights to holiday pay at work, safe working hours, or protections from hazardous chemicals. These rules help businesses plan, invest and grow for the future, and give people certainty and confidence in the products they buy.
“If leaving the EU was about making our own decisions about our future, this Bill simply hands that power to individual Ministers who could change laws without giving Parliament a say. That’s why it is so crucial that MPs stand up for people’s safety and oppose the current Bill when it returns to the Commons this week.
“Last week, we learned some departments are having to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds, and devote hundreds of civil servants’ time to reviewing which laws to chop, which to change and which to keep – surely a distraction at a time when every penny counts.
“We are calling on the Government to drop the unrealistic deadline of the end of this year to review, revoke or amend over 4000 pieces of legislation – and, if not, scrap this ill-conceived and, frankly, dangerous Bill.”
Errol Taylor, Chief Executive of RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents), says that if managed correctly, this Bill could offer an opportunity to arrive at a successful destination, but that cannot happen if the Government sticks by its end of 2023 deadline.
He said: “At RoSPA, we’re proud to say we’re world leaders in the safety field and work with UK Government to prevent accidents and the unnecessary loss of life. Consequently, the headlong rush to abolish regulations is alarming.
“While we agree that the revision and sanitation of standards could be a positive step, we need to ensure we do this sensibly and in consultation. The Bill offers a huge opportunity for health and safety professionals to lead the way in protecting and enhancing people’s lives, and we want to be at the forefront of that.
“Ultimately, the importance lies in the preservation of the aim and intention of legislation, whether that’s protecting children, drivers or the elderly – not in how we get there.”
About the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022
The Bill from BEIS (Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy) will ‘sunset’ the majority of retained EU law so that it expires on December 31. All retained EU law contained in domestic secondary legislation and retained direct EU legislation will expire on this date, unless otherwise preserved. The Bill includes an extension mechanism for the sunset of specified pieces of retained EU law until 2026, to allow central Government departments more time to assess whether some retained EU law should be preserved; visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-retained-eu-law-revocation-and-reform-bill-2022.
