§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the form of the General Warrant for Her Majesty's Inspectors of Health and Safety in the light of Section 19(2) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, specifying which of the powers are conferred on each individual inspector by the relevant statutory provisions.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerYes.
§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Health and Safety were added to the General Warrant following signature on 1st January 1975; and if he will place a copy of the General Warrant in the Library of the House of Commons.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the Health and Safety Executive made no additions to the General Warrant effective from 1st January 1975; this warrant was required only until such time as each inspector using the powers could be issued with an individual instrument of appointment by the Executive. I am arranging for 497W a specimen of such a warrant to be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has issued a direction to the Health and Safety Commission or Executive to make any retrospective provision for the authorisation of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Health and Safety.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerNo.
§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the criteria used for the inclusion of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Health and Safety on the General Warrant for the issue of improvement and prohibition notices.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI am advised by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that in including an inspector in the General Warrant which specified powers to issue, inter alia, prohibition and improvement notices, the criterion used by the Executive was that the inspector should have satisfied the high standards of the selection process for Factory Inspectors, Explosives Inspectors, Mines and Quarries Inspectors, Nuclear Installations Inspectors, or Alkali Inspectors as appropriate, and that he had subsequently received a Certificate of Qualification issued in his favour by the Civil Service Commissioners.
§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the Health and Safety Executive offered new terms to Her Majesty's Inspectors of Health and Safety following withdrawal of the warrants issued under the Factory Act 1961; and if those terms specifically 498W required acceptance of the powers contained in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to issue improvement and prohibition notices.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI am advised by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the enactment of the Health and Safety at Work Act did not require any modification to the terms of employment of inspectors: the powers of the Act are conferred by the issue to inspectors of the instrument of appointment.