[1] The AALA was created following the Lyme Bay canoeing tragedy in March, 1993 which involved a commercial organisation assuming responsibility for children's safety.
A group of eight pupils and their teacher were accompanied by two instructors from an outdoor centre on the south coast of England.
The government initially resisted changing legislation until David Jamieson, the Member of Parliament for Plymouth Devonport, who represented the parents of the children who died, introduced a Private Member's Bill which in January 1995 became the Activity Centres (Young Persons’ Safety) Act 1995.
[2] In January 1995 an independent licensing authority, the AALA, was created to bring the act into reality.
[4] The January 2016 update from the AALA reported that "... responsibility for the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) is likely to move from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) ..."[5]