HC Deb 17 February 1955 vol 537 cc550-2
31. Mr. H. Wilson

asked the Minister of Labour, in view of the disclosures in the Medical Research Council Report on the lethal effects of cadmium poisoning in a factory at Prescot, Lancashire, what urgent steps he will now take to protect the workers at that and associated factories from further cases of poisoning.

Mr. Watkinson

The conclusions in this Report are at present being studied on my behalf by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Factories. At the factories concerned measures, which include improvements to exhaust ventilation and closer medical supervision have already been taken with the advice of the Factory Inspectorate to protect the workers against possible harmful concentrations of cadmium fumes. The effect of these precautions will continue to be carefully watched.

Mr. Wilson

While thanking the hon. Gentleman for that statement, might I ask him if he is aware that it is more than three years since I drew the attention of the Minister to this serious problem, and during that period three or four of my constituents have died as a result of cadmium poisoning, and probably a dozen in all over an earlier period; and will he intensify his efforts to make sure that no more of them die?

Mr. Watkinson

I certainly agree with the right hon. Gentleman that this is a most important matter. I should like to say, however, that only 14 such cases have been reported in the years 1938 to 1954, and all workers so reported recovered. But I am not trying to minimise the matter. It is most important, and I know that the right hon. Gentleman has read the valuable Report on it as I have. We will try to get some cure as quickly as we possibly can.

Mr. Sevan

Does not the hon. Gentleman agree that if this has been going on for three years and was not discovered by the inspectors in his Department it reveals a very lamentable state of affairs, and that it ought to have been followed up long before this? Has he no other explanation to give to the House except that three years afterwards there is now to be a report on the matter?

Mr. Watkinson

That is not the position at all. The point is, as the right hon. Gentleman who raised this question knows, that there is no doubt about the toxic nature of the fumes. The difficulty is how to get an effective and reasonable cure.

Mr. Wilson

On a point of order. The Parliamentary Secretary replied to my right hon. Friend the Member for Ebbw Vale (Mr. Bevan) and quoted me as being in support of the statement he made. I think that in fairness I ought to make it clear that that statement is not correct, and it is quite incorrect to say that I knew and could confirm what he said.

Mr. Watkinson

I am sorry if I misquoted the right hon. Gentleman. What I said was that I thought that we were both agreed about the importance of the toxic nature of these particular fumes.