The Re-published Boat Safety Scheme Check List Items With Additional Commentary
Guidance Notes
The attached sheets show all Boat Safety Scheme Check List items along with their status following the work of the navigation authorities to simplify the Scheme. The status of these Check List items only applies to private boats and their owners. Hire boats, public passenger craft (with less than 12 passengers) and all other boats not privately owned must comply with, where applicable, all Boat Safety Scheme Check List items.
Each Part of the BSS Standards is now split into two categories: Mandatory and Advisory. Private boat owners will be required to comply with all Mandatory Check List items to gain a licence for navigation, and actively encouraged to comply with all Advisory items, in effect meeting all requirements of the Boat Safety Scheme.
Commentary is given beneath each Part highlighting the change in status for certain Check List items and what this will mean for private boat owners and navigation authorities alike. It contains important information on the provisions being made by British Waterways and the Environment Agency to help private boaters comply with the Scheme's full requirements.
Where appropriate, the commentary draws on the views and opinions of individual boaters and representative groups and shows why the navigation authorities have designated particular Check List items as either Mandatory or Advisory. Both the Environment Agency and British Waterways are grateful to those individuals and representative groups for the valuable contributions made by them in this process of simplifying the Scheme.
Those commentaries on Mandatory Check List items shown in italics represent where a previously designated Time Limited Exemption has now been re-affirmed as a Mandatory requirement for all boats. Non-compliant private craft have until 30 June 2002 to meet these Check List items, unless otherwise indicated.
Other commentary is provided to show how differing recommendations from BSS Committees and individual boaters have been considered in the re-publication of the Check List items.
This re-published list of BSS Check List items and associated commentary should be read in conjunction with the media release of the same title and issue date. The BSS Standards and guidance notes contained in the Scheme's 'Blue/Grey' Booklets should also be referred to in conjunction with these documents. ('Blue/Grey' Booklets will be replaced with The Boat Safety Scheme Guide from January 2002).
click here to download the remainder of this press release in Word format.
