… Motor Sport Event Safety Review …
Following on from the recent Scottish Government ‘Motor Sport Event Safety Review’ presentation to the Association of Car Clubs last week, the MSA issued a follow-up Press Release at 12.20 pm today.
It has been announced that a senior civil servant has been seconded to work with the sport and the MSA to promote and implement the recommendations made by the Review Group.
Jacqueline Campbell was one of the key civil servants who was tasked with creating the Review Group and steering it through the past six months of deliberations and discussions. Her appointment is for an initial period of 12 months.
This appointment may come as a surprise to some, many of whom may consider that an ‘outsider’ will not be able to fully grasp the realities and the size of the task that lies ahead. But perhaps that is where her strength lies, she comes to the sport as an outsider with no preconceptions.
Or put it another way, this appointment sets out just how seriously the Scottish Government takes the whole issue of spectator safety at outdoor events. Rallying now has 12 months to start implementing those recommendations.
It’s not enough for us to sit back and say the sport already has a pretty good safety record (which it has), but we all have to work harder to make it better – and it had better get better!
Make no mistake, if rallying is not seen to make tangible and measurable improvements in rally safety over the next 12 months, there might well be no more rallying.
That is not a scare tactic, and it’s not primarily a Scottish problem. This is a UK-wide problem and we all have to do much better. And it’s not just us, but it will start with us. Other sports take note.
MSA Press Statement:
Ongoing implementation of Scottish Safety Review recommendations
The Motor Sports Association (MSA) is delighted to confirm an important new partnership with the Scottish Government, as part of its commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Motorsport Event Safety Review.
A key member of the review and someone many people in the sport have now met is Jacqueline Campbell, a civil servant with the Scottish Government, who has joined the MSA on secondment as part of its ongoing commitment to rolling out the recommendations.
Richard Foggo, chairman of the Review Committee, said: “The Scottish Government take safety at motor sport events very seriously and we are committed to working in close partnership with the MSA to improve safety. The secondment of a senior Scottish Government staff member to the MSA demonstrates that our commitment is real.”
Rob Jones, MSA Chief Executive, added: “This is a very important development, not only in terms of the MSA benefiting from Jacqueline’s direct input but also in the development of our partnership with the Scottish Government and also through them, our interaction with other key stakeholders in Scotland including the Forestry Commission, the police, and local authorities.”