Written Question · S2W-15118 · Session 2
Whether it considers that increases in the premiums for insurance cover for businesses which provide outdoor education are a barrier to the…
The question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that increases in the premiums for insurance cover for businesses which provide outdoor education are a barrier to the provision of outdoor education experiences for young people; whether it will commission research into this field, and, in particular, whether it will issue a questionnaire to businesses providing outdoor education to obtain information on the costs of such cover and further details of their outdoor education activities in order to assess the extent to which this is an issue.
The answer
We share the general concern over increases in the cost of liability insurance premiums. The level of premium costs is of course an issue for the insurance market as a whole. We keep in touch with the work of the Insurance Cover Working Group, established by the UK Government, to act as a forum for on-going dialogue with the insurance industry and other interests. We are aware that some commercial providers of outdoor activities have concerns about the impact of increased insurance premiums. However, we have no plans to commission research or conduct a survey of outdoor education businesses. Our contacts with outdoor education interests do not suggest that the cost of insurance cover impacts on the ability of local authorities to locate and access enough suitable providers of outdoor education activities.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S2W-15118 by reference.