Industrial Health Advisory Committee

HC Deb 11 December 1961 vol 651 cc31-2

44. Mr. Swingler

asked the Minister of Labour if he will summon a meeting, at the earliest convenient date, of the Industrial Health Advisory Committee of his Department to discuss the next steps to be taken to establish a comprehensive industrial health service.

Mr. Hare

The next meeting of the Committee has been fixed for 8th May, 1962 The Committee will then be considering further means of encouraging the development of medical services in industry, but as the hon. Member knows, the Government rely on voluntary action in that field.

Mr. Swingler

Is this sabotage by the Minister? Is it not deplorable that the Minister has cancelled the November meeting of this Committee when it was due to consider the B.M.A. scheme for establishing a comprehensive industrial service? Is he not aware of the protests both of the B.M.A, and the T.U.C., who were not consulted about the cancellation of this meeting? In view of that, will he not call an earlier meeting to try to get on with the job?

Mr. Hare

The hon. Member is quite wrong to talk about sabotage. There was no agenda for this meeting except a number of reports which were circulated and on which there were no comments. I place great value on the work of this Committee, but I think that we have a great deal to learn from the experimental work, which has only just been put into effect.

Mr. Swingler

Is it not a fact that both the T.U.C, and the B.M.A. have written to the Minister regretting the fact that he cancelled the November meeting, and in the light of that will he not call an early meeting?

Mr. Hare

That is quite true, but other bodies are represented on the Committee and they did not take similar action.

Mr. Prentice

Is not the position that some big firms have good health services in the places of work but that only a very small percentage of the small firms are covered by group schemes? Does not the Minister agree that the only way to tackle this problem is through some national plan for an occupational health service?

Mr. Hare

I honestly think that neither the hon. Member nor anybody else should take up a fixed attitude. We had better await the lessons which we shall gain from the valuable experiments which are only now being put into effect.