§ Mr. David Stoddartasked the Secretary of State for Employment on what date the decision to close the Factory Inspectorate office in Swindon was made.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerNo final decision has yet been taken on the future of the Swindon district office of Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate. In order to test recommendations which have been made for the reorganisation of the inspectorate a trial scheme is to be set up for a period of six months. During this time inspection will be carried out under an area director whose office will be at Slough. Teams of inspectors will be responsible for particular industries and one of these teams will operate from the Swindon office during the experimental period.
§ Mr. David Stoddartasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make it his practice to consult the hon. Member whose constituency is affected when it is intended to close a Factory Inspectorate office.
617W
§ Mr. Harold WalkerIf it is decided later to close any of the existing district offices of Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate consideration will no doubt be given to the hon. Member's request for consultation. It is, however, too early to give him a definite undertaking as, assuming that the Health and Safety at Work Bill reaches the statute book this summer, reorganisation of the inspectorate will be a matter for the proposed commission.
§ Mr. David Stoddartasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is aware of the concern felt by trade unionists in Swindon at the decision to close the Factory Inspectorate office in Swindon and move its functions 50 miles away to Slough; and if he took this concern into account in reaching his decision.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerIt is encouraging to find that the trade unions in the hon. Member's constituency are anxious to maintain close contact with the Factory Inspectorate. I am aware of their concern, but one of the main objects of any reorganisation will be to improve communication and to provide more knowledgeable and expert advice for all concerned.
§ Mr. David Stoddartasked the Secretary of State for Employment what consultation was undertaken by his Department with employers and trade unions before the decision was taken to close the Factory Inspectorate office in Swindon.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerAs no final decision has yet been taken on the future of the Swindon district office no consultation with employers and trade unions in the hon. Member's constituency has so far been considered necessary. Local opinion will be taken into account and the possibility of consultation can be considered when the results of the trial scheme for setting up an area office at Slough are available.
§ Mr. David Stoddartasked the Secretary of State for Employment how safety in industrial establishments will be affected in the Swindon area by the decision to close the Factory Inspectorate office in Swindon and move its operations to Slough.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerBy setting up well equipped area offices we hope that we shall be able to introduce the new and618W better methods of inspection that we are studying at the moment. One of our objectives is to ensure that experienced inspectors with an intimate knowledge of a particular industry are available throughout the area. We hope that this will go a long way towards achieving a higher standard of safety in Swindon and elsewhere.
§ Mr. David Stoddartasked the Secretary of State for Employment what additional travelling time and cost will be involved in closing the Factory Inspectorate office in Swindon and moving its functions to Slough.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerIt is difficult at this stage to estimate the effects of new methods of inspection on the travelling time and the cost of running the Factory Inspectorate. These will depend on a number of factors that we propose to study during the trial schemes.
§ Mr. David Stoddartasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is satisfied that experiments like the one involving the closing of the Factory Inspectorate office at Swindon are consistent with the needs for safety evidenced by the recent disaster at Flixborough.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerYes. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that our proposals should provide more effective methods of dealing with major hazards, including those of the chemical industry. We hope that each area office will be able to provide much of the necessary expertise locally to deal with the sort of situation the hon. Member has in mind.
§ Mr. David Stoddartasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now reverse the decision to close the Factory Inspectorate office at Swindon.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI hope that in view of my replies to his other Questions the hon. Member will accept that there is no need for my right hon. Friend to reverse a decision which has not yet been taken.