§ 47. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Minister of Labour if he will introduce legislation to compel manufacturers of any boards or other materials containing asbestos to stamp clearly on each board the percentage of asbestos they contain.
§ Mr. HattersleyMy right hon. Friend is considering whether, when the Factories Act is next amended, he should seek powers to require manufacturers to take precautions for the benefit of workers not employed by them, but whose work involves dealing with their products.
§ Mr. AllaunWill my hon. Friend implement these proposals fairly quickly? Does he accept the recent medical advice that asbestos can cause cancer? Will he also respect the strong feelings of the Wood Cutting Machinists Association that health should come before profits?
§ Mr. HattersleyWhile I agree with both my hon. Friend's contentions, I hope he will understand that to make provisions of the kind he suggests would require revision of the Factories Act and I cannot promise that in the immediate future.
Mrs. ButlerAs we are discovering fresh health hazards from asbestos every day, and since some workers adversely affected have been working only a short time with asbestos, will my hon. Friend ensure that this point is covered also?
§ Mr. HattersleyI am open to correction but I understand that these hazards come from working with asbestos directly and not with products, which are the subject of the Question on the Order Paper.