§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what safety measures (if any) are laid down in legislative form to protect the eyesight of children and students whilst engaged in activities of a practical nature in laboratories and workshops of schools and colleges coming within the terms of the Education Act 1944.
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE (LORD BELSTEAD)My Lords, there are no statutory or regulatory provisions which apply to the protection of the eyesight of children and students while being taught in schools and colleges. My right honourable friend's Department does however give advice on this matter through its publications and through contact between Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools and local education authorities, schools and colleges. There is comprehensive reference to measures for the protection of eyesight, covering a variety of dangers, in the Department's Education pamphlet No. 53, Safety at School.
LORD JANNERMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware of the necessity for the protection of the children who are engaged in laboratories where scientific studies are taking place, and that it is just as necessary for them to have regulations pertaining to their eyesight and the protection of their eyes as it is for people engaged in industrial concerns? Am I to understand that regulations are coming into effect with regard to those employed in industries? Would the noble Lord 464 regard as necessary the making of similar provisions for children who are subjected to this danger?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, I entirely agree with the noble Lord about the necessity for having regard to safety in schools and colleges. The noble Lord might wish to know that the current safety pamphlet, Safety at School, is being followed up now with another one which will deal with safety in science laboratories specifically; and yet another one which will deal specifically with safety in workshops, art and craft and home economics departments, and these will be published early in 1973. In fact, the noble Lord's Question has come in time for us to see what the noble Lord says before these publications go off for printing.
§ LORD WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, is the noble Lord able to say how many accidents there have been in laboratories and school workshops?
§ LORD BELSTEADI am sorry, my Lords; I am afraid I cannot. I will try to find out whether there is an answer and will get in touch with the noble Lord.
§ LORD WYNNE-JONESMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that in many laboratories nowadays the wearing of glasses is being made compulsory? Could he not ensure that this is generally made compulsory throughout the whole country, because the plastic glasses which are available to-day are quite cheap and easily obtainable?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, the list of occasions on which care must be taken to shield the eyes in a school or college is very considerable, and they are listed in the pamphlet to which I have already referred. But as regards making the matter compulsory, I have already sought to reply to the noble Lord, Lord Janner, on this point. We feel that the system of inspections of schools is the one best suited to schools, as opposed to industry.
§ LORD WYNNE-JONESMy Lords, can the noble Lord tell us how frequently a particular class is inspected? In my experience it is so infrequent that the inspection can be largely ignored.
§ LORD BELSTEADNo, my Lords, this is not so. Inspections take place on 465 occasions which, for obvious reasons, are not laid down beforehand so that it is not generally known when an inspection will in fact take place.
§ LORD SLATERMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that school medical officers, as I take it, still make their recommendation and their examination regarding the eyesight of these children as they did in the case of my own son? In his case they recommended that he should go to a hospital. Is there still that form of liaison with the eye hospital for medical examination? That is what happened in his particular case and the result was satisfactory.
§ LORD BELSTEADYes, my Lords; but we are getting a little way from the intention of the noble Lord's original Question.
VISCOUNT ST. DAVIDSMy Lords, can the noble Lord assure me that the regulations laid down for schools and those laid down for industrial premises are closely similar? Are they exactly the same or are there some differences? Would it not be very valuable, for the safety of these children in future in industry, that they should have had already in the schools some practice of going through these safety precautions?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, as I tried to make clear in my original Answer, there is no statutory or regulatory provision for the protection of the eyesight of children in schools or colleges. There are of course building regulations. These are similar to, but not the same as, those in industry.