Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2007 | Page 9
ANDREW TURNER MP
life
Andrew Turner MP
If you would like to contact
our island MP (Andrew Turner)
then please either write to:
24 The Mall, Caisbrooke,
Isle of Wight PO30 1BW
or call 01983 530808
email: [email protected]
I am sometimes asked what
legislation I would pass if I had
the chance. Well, I am unlikely
to get such an opportunity
but, if it arose, I would have
to pass the Application of
Common Sense Bill.
Clearly, I would have to
give a lot of thought to how it
would be drafted and there
would be no end of objections
from vested interests but I am
sure it would be a popular
measure with the public.
Why do we need such a
Bill? Well, it seems pretty
obvious to me, it is because
we have a compensation
and risk culture gone mad.
We hear of children being
stopped from playing conkers
and banned from using
playground equipment. We
read of teachers reluctant
to restrain unruly children
or even to comfort those
who are upset for fear of
unfounded accusations.
The omnipresent ‘health and
safety’ brigade is determined
that every possible event
must have a risk assessment
and an army of inspectors to
assess, measure and evaluate
everything. Even when I
offered work experience to
a youngster in my office I
was supposed to do a full
risk assessment. I suppose
a teenager could unplug the
photocopier and stick their
fingers in the electricity socket
but none have tried to do so
yet. Don’t tell anyone but I
didn’t return the assessment
and nobody noticed!
Government tries to protect
citizens. That may be well
intentioned but things seem to
have spiralled out of control.
Our traditional festivals,
regattas and celebrations
face ever-higher insurance
costs, fire safety rules and
complex forms to fill in. Yet
accidents still happen.
I am not saying you don’t need
basic insurance and obviously
public places and events
should be safe but too much
Government and European
interference have spawned
a whole new industry and,
unhappily, it is slowly strangling
some of our finest traditions.
The danger of trying to
legislate for every eventuality
is that people lose the ability
to evaluate risk for themselves.
As a boy my parents let me
climb trees, they didn't need a
health and safety inspector to
judge whether I could fall and
hurt myself, they just let me get
on with it and, if I hurt myself,
tough! I did fall sometimes
but I learnt from that not to go
too high or to venture out onto
rotten branches. I was not
really a daredevil even then.
As I said, accidents happen
and of course when they do
they can demonstrate new
risks nobody has yet thought
about – a self perpetuating
argument for even more
inspectors to think up ever
more unlikely scenarios and
plan how they can be avoided.
So my Application of
Common Sense Bill will, I
am sure, be welcomed by
the majority of right-thinking
people. Unfortunately, I
predict the newly redundant
health and safety inspectors
will simply retrain as common
sense inspectors to ensure
the new legislation is
applied in a proportionate
and proper way according
to the enormous book of
regulations and guidelines
they are sure to produce.
Or am I being too cynical?
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