7. Mr. Leeasked the Minister of Labour the number of inspections, per factory inspector, in 1938 and in 1954.
§ Sir W. MoncktonVery rough average figures of inspection visits per inspector are—for 1938, 1,040 and for 1954, 730.
Mr. LeeDoes the Minister agree that these figures are somewhat disturbing? Can he tell the House what steps are now being taken to step up the numbers in the inspectorate, and can he explain the fall in the number of visits which he indicated between 1938 and last year?
§ Sir W. MoncktonIn reply to the first part of the supplementary question, I may say that the figure of inspectors has gone up between these dates from 269 in 1938 to a figure varying between 355 and 364 in 1954. The reason there are fewer inspections per inspector 2483 is largely because of changes in the nature of the work. In 1938, the Factories Act, 1937, was only just coming into force, and it has been necessary to make more elaborate inspections as the work has developed. Secondly, there have been new, additional and complex technical Regulations under the Act which did not exist in 1938.