HC Deb 21 July 1975 vol 896 cc33-4
29. Mrs. Joyce Butler

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will introduce regulations making the labelling of do-it-yourself products containing asbestos mandatory, so that the asbestos content is clearly indicated, and a warning of the danger of dust inhalation given.

Mr. Maclennan

I shall certainly consider doing so if the consultations my Department is currently holding with the Asbestosis Research Council do not lead to the introduction of a satisfactory voluntary labelling scheme.

Mrs. Butler

As most "do-it-yourselfers " are not aware that materials such as that used for masonry plugs contain asbestos and that asbestos itself can be a serious cancer hazard, will my hon. Friend say why it has taken four years since the Standing Medical Advisory Committee reported to the Department of Health and Social Security for us to reach the present stage? Will he consider this matter urgently, with a view to getting some regulations on the statute book?

Mr. Maclennan

My Department has not been in existence for four years, but we have been in touch with the manufacturers of the criticised screw-fixing compounds and have secured their agreement on the labelling of the plugs with appropriate safety advice.

Mr. Cryer

Is my hon. Friend aware that the Asbestosis Research Council has distributed throughout industry hundreds of thousands of leaflets about asbestos, and that mandatory regulations have been ignored, with the consequence that a number of people in, for example, the Hebden Bridge area, represented by my hon. Friend the Member for Sowerby (Mr. Madden), have suffered from asbestosis There have also been cases in London. What is needed is legislation containing penalties for breaches.

Mr. Maclennan

I am aware of some of the general facts mentioned by my hon. Friend, and I am in discussion with the Asbestosis Research Council on the possibility of introducing a voluntary scheme. If the scheme does not prove satisfactory, I shall consider my hon. Friend's points sympathetically.