The criteria which define licence duration are set out in ‘AALA note 1.03v25 – Licence Duration’ which can be requested by emailing AALA-Applications@HSE.gov.uk.
Adventure RMS apply AALA Note 1.03 when identifying the appropriate licence duration for each of the applications it reviews.
Applicants should be aware of the following:
- It is important to work with the inspector to ensure that their understanding of size and staffing arrangements are accurate. A licence duration based on inaccurate information at the time of the review may be invalid.
- Licence duration is often defined in periods of 12 months. However, this is not always the case. During the application review process consideration is given to adjusting licence duration so that at the next review the inspector will have greater opportunities to observe how safety management arrangements operate in practice.
The Adventure RMS application review process addresses licence duration on three occasions and requires the consideration and agreement of the inspector, a consulting inspector and ultimately the head of service:
- Inspector recommendation – the inspector undertaking the application review is required to make a judgement about the resilience and sustainability of the applicant’s safety management arrangements in applying AALA note 1.03. They do so during the initial core inspection and, when required, subsequent further inspection.
- Consulting inspector review – consulting inspectors are required to review the recommendations of inspectors during the application consultations and during the report review.
- Head of Service endorsement – all applications are ultimately endorsed by the head of service.
A decision on each application, including the duration of a licence, is provided to the AALA by Adventure RMS within the report. Any licence, and a copy of the report, is subsequently issued to the applicant by the AALA.
Where a provider considers that the guidance contained within AALA note 1.03 has not been correctly applied to their application they should, in the first instance, address their enquiry to the AALA (AALA@HSE.gov.uk). They may wish to refer to Note 1.03 in any correspondence.
