Additional spring on clutch pedal - why?

Jumped into my 20VT and depressed the clutch, and a heavy duty spring hit the floor of the footwell. Look at the pedal it appears this spring is mounted to a pivot on the pedal with the other end held in to a bracket vertically above the pivot. The clutch actuation appears unaffected by the loss of this spring; it fell out because the plastic mounting which attaches to the pedal sheared.

Why is this spring here? It's strange that it sits vertically when the pivot action is more horizontal, and it doesn't move through a huge distance. Is there any risk to driving the car without it?

It helps with pedal arm return, it is needed but as you've found out it doesn't effect the action.

Looks like it should be able to be glued back together (the retainer) and reinstalled without too much issue. Are these an item that fails regularly? Is it easier to just buy a replacement rather than try and repair it?

Ja z tym się zmagałem przy naprawie uszkodzonej tulei na pompie sprzęgła. Relacja w temacie