Health and Safety Executive (Hansard, 18 April 1989)

§ 13. Mr. Pike
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the Health and Safety Executive's budget provision for the next three years.

§ Mr. Cope
Gross provision for the Health and Safety Commission and Executive in the three years from 1 April last is £118.3 million, £125.9 million and £133.5 million, as shown in the public expenditure White Paper. The provision allows for real growth in the executive's activities in all three years, including an increase in the number of inspectors, and of inspections.

§ Mr. Pike
As the Government have also indicated that they will make additional funding available only in exceptional circumstances, will the Minister indicate, if the Government are committed to the Health and Safety Executives, whether a continuing rise in the accident rate would be one of the factors which would influence additional funds being made available?

§ Mr. Cope
As with all public expenditure, it is kept under review from year to year, but those are the figures for which the hon. Gentleman asked for this year and the next two years.

§ Mr. Charles Wardle
Will my right hon. Friend tell the House whether he expects the Heath and Safety Executive 179 to submit evidence to Lord Justice Taylor's inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster? Does the executive's statutory responsibility to inform the public about safety matters or its liaison function with local authorities have any bearing on safety measures at football grounds?

§ Mr. Cope
It is not part of the Heath and Safety Executive's direct responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act or other legislation of that sort, but it is advising on safety measures and will continue to give such advice as is required both to the authorities in charge of the football grounds and to the inquiry.

§ Mr. Meacher
How can the Minister give such complacent answers about funding when his Department is continually extending the responsibilities of the Health and Safety Executive without providing any extra resources to implement them? How can he justify introducing the new and important Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations this year without providing extra resources to enforce them? Is it not pure gesture politics to will the end but to refuse to will the means?

§ Mr. Cope
I have just said that we are increasing the resources and enabling the Heath and Safety Executive to increase its staff. The COSHH regulations are about much more than transport.