Factory Inspectors (Hansard, 29 April 1991)

§ The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
My Lords, on 1st April 1991, 650 factory inspectors were in post in the Health and Safety Executive, an increase of 10 per cent. since 1988. Details of further planned increases in the number of inspectors will be set out in the Health and Safety Commission's plan of work for 1991–92 and beyond, to be published at the end of May.

§ Lord McCarthy
My Lords, does the noble Earl accept that that is not an Answer to my Question? My Question related to when the Government intend to return to the figures of 1980. It has not been answered. It is the third time I have asked the Question. Does the Minister realise that at the rate he suggests it will take 25 years to get back to the 1980 figure? When are the Government going to improve on their record?

§ The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
My Lords, I understand that the HSE has a provisional planned figure of 702 factory inspectors in post on 1st April 1992. Following the approval by the Secretary of State for Employment of the Health and Safety Commission's plan of work for 1991–92 and beyond, I confirm the HSE's target of 702 factory inspectors in post by 1st April 1992. I understand the point made by the noble Lord that the figure of 702 does not reach the figure of 759. However, it goes a long way towards it.

§ Baroness Turner of Camden
My Lords, is the Minister aware that, according to the report of the HSE, there has been an increase in the number of fatalities in manufacturing industry and that that trend appears to be continuing? Does it not seem wrong in such circumstances that the number of planned visits which factory inspectors have been making to manufacturing establishments has declined between 1987 and the present day?

§ The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Turner, may be thinking that the number of inspections per staff unit has decreased. While that is so, the total number of inspections by factory inspectors is planned to rise to 177,100 this year. That is a rise of over 50,000 in two years. That is due to the overall rise in the number of inspectors.

§ Lord Mackie of Benshie
My Lords, does the noble Earl agree that it is wholly unreasonable for the Labour Party to ask these questions considering that manufacturing industry has declined so much under the present Government?

§ The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
My Lords, the noble Lord should remember that in recent years the Government have met the HSC's PES bids in full. Gross provision was increased to £184 million in 1991–92; that is an increase of £24 million over 1991. 477 In the 1990 PES round gross provision was increased to £196 million in 1992–93, and £213 million in 1993–94.

§ Lord Skelmersdale
My Lords, is it not a fact that what matters is not the number of factory inspectors but the number of inspections that they undertake, and the adequacy of those inspections? Does my noble friend have any figures comparing now with 1980?

§ The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
My Lords, I do not have those figures. However, there was a slight drop in the number of factory inspections in 1988–89; they are now on the increase. HSC's last published plan of work for 1991 and beyond provided for increased numbers of preventive inspections last year, this year and next.

§ Baroness Turner of Camden
My Lords, the main point of my question related to the number of fatalities in manufacturing industry, which are on the increase. Therefore is it not necessary for there to be more planned factory inspections rather than fewer? According to the information in the HSE report, there has been a decline since 1987–88. In 1987–88 it was 631; in the following year it was down to 593, and last year it was 570. Is not that entirely the wrong tendency?

§ The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
My Lords, over the past 20 years the number of reported fatal injuries to employees has decreased from around 776 in 1971 to a provisional figure of 339 in 1989–90. The injury rate of 1989–90 is well below the 1988–89 level. I remind the House that the 1988–89 figures include the 167 fatalities that occurred on Piper Alpha.

§ Lord Campbell of Alloway
My Lords, apart from statistics, which are so difficult to remember, can my noble friend say whether it is or is not the policy of Her Majesty's Government to take this matter seriously not only on humanitarian grounds, but also because it affects productivity? Can he confirm that it is the policy of the Government to increase the inspectorate and ensure that inspections are properly conducted?

§ The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
My Lords, I entirely agree with my noble friend Lord Campbell of Alloway. I come back to the figures of gross provision which I gave to the House earlier.

§ Lord McCarthy
My Lords, does the noble Earl agree that the answer to the noble Lord, Lord Skelmersdale, should be that under the present figures we get one inspection per day per inspector? In answer to the noble Lord, Lord Campbell of Alloway, is it not correct that if the Government took the matter seriously we would not have a situation such as existed in the middle of the 1980s, since when the accident rate has not decreased but has stagnated?

§ The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
My Lords, since April 1988 the number of inspectors, including 25 railway inspectors, has increased by 136. That is an increase of 11.7 per cent. That is a total of 1,165 in April 1988 increasing to 1,301 in April 1990–91. As I 478 said, further increases are planned in 1991–92. The number of inspectors employed by HSE on 1st April 1991 was the highest since December 1982.