The lives of millions of construction workers and the people who live and work in the buildings they create could be put at risk if the Government pushes through plans to overturn safeguards proposed as amendments to the Retained EU Law [Revocation and Reform] Bill 2022.
The Association for Project Safety [APS] is urging peers to reject changes removing a safety net previously created in the House of Lords. That would have made sure Parliament – and, if appropriate, the devolved administrations – had both adequate time and the right to debate and vote on major changes to UK laws and regulations.
APS is asking peers to stand by their original suggestions and vote against Government amendments 1A and 42A when the Bill goes back to the House of Lords on Tuesday 6 June 2023.
The Government does not like the original Lords’ proposals which would have meant all major changes would have had to be openly debated and voted on in both House of Parliament or, if the law was devolved, the legislature in Holyrood, Cardiff and Stormont. Amendments would have meant parliamentarians would have had at least 30 days to consider the implications of any proposed changes. Old laws would also stay in place If agreement could not be reached.
APS past-President Jonathan Moulam, who heads up the cross-industry Construction Industry Council’s working group on the Retained EU Law [Revocation and Reform] Bill said: “The UK has a proud tradition of improving and upholding the health and safety of all workers across our four nations and particularly those working in the built environment. The Association for Project Safety [APS] opposes government plans to silence Parliament and allow laws to be wiped out with no opportunity for debate or time for reflection as the association believes this puts at risk, the lives of construction workers and the people who live and work in the buildings they create.
“The Government’s proposed amendments to the Retained EU Law [Revocation and Reform] Bill 2022 could wipe out the safety net for millions of people. By rejecting sensible reforms suggested by the House of Lords – giving parliament the right to vote on, and time to consider, important legal changes – the government puts in jeopardy years of steady improvement to the health, safety, and wellbeing of workers across the UK’s built environment. APS does not believe safety standards should be thrown away without anyone being able to stand up for them or without Parliament having a chance to debate the changes.”
