Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timetable for their review into operator protection devices on quad bikes.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the regulator for health and safety in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is the equivalent regulator in Northern Ireland.

Sit astride all-terrain vehicles (commonly referred to as quad bikes) supplied into the UK market must meet the Essential Health and Safety Requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 and relevant Standards. Quad bikes are used in a range of workplace and leisure settings.

Both UK regulators continue to monitor available technology and the regulatory approaches employed in other countries, including where operator protection devices (OPDs) have been made mandatory. HSE is reviewing available evidence against typical UK workplace settings to see if additional measures can provide improvements in safety. This work is ongoing and HSE will provide this information to the working group that will assess if changes should be made to the specific Designated Standard.