Developments in health and safety

In years to come, we will probably look back at the month of October 2010 - and a seven-day period in particular - as the time when the health and safety landscape started to change fundamentally.

In just one week:

• on 15 October, Lord Young published his review of "the operation of health and safety laws and the growth of a compensation culture";
• on 20 October, the Chancellor published his Comprehensive Spending Review, announcing massive cuts in government spending, with local authorities (LAs) taking a 28% hit;
• on 21 October, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced a 35% cut in the HSE's funding between 2011/12 and 2014/15; and
• again on 21 October, a Conservative backbencher tabled a dozen Bills - which will almost certainly be government "handouts" - implementing recommendations from the Young report.