§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice his Department gives to local authorities as to which types of asbestos, commonly found in local authority housing, should be removed immediately.
§ Sir George YoungDepartment of the Environment guidance on asbestos materials in buildings advises that complete removal should be considered when it is not possible to seal an asbestos material effectively or it is subject to frequent disturbance and likely to release dust.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice his Department gives to local authorities as to which types of asbestos, commonly found in local authority housing, can remain in situ for ever.
§ Sir George YoungDepartment of the Environment guidance on asbestos materials in buildings advises that asbestos materials which are sound and undamaged and not showing evidence of dust release may be left in place. Precautions to alert maintenance workers to the presence of asbestos and sealing of the surface of the material are recommended.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department gives any advice to local authorities as to the precautions to be taken prior to removing a large quantity of loose asbestos from a tower block.
§ Sir George YoungGeneral advice on the removal and disposal of asbestos is given in the Department of the Environment's guidance note "Asbestos materials in buildings". Detailed guidance on the precautions to be taken when removing asbestos insulation and coatings is given in the Health and Safety Executive approved code of practice and guidance note "Work with asbestos insulation and asbestos coating".
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance his Department gives housing authorities in respect of whether tenants should remain in situ or be moved out during major works to remove asbestos from the interior of flats or houses.
§ Sir George YoungDepartment of the Environment guidance on asbestos materials in buildings recommends that,
- (i) it will usually be necessary to empty the building or seal off the working area when friable materials are removed,
324 - (ii) it may not be necessary to take these precautions when non-friable materials are being removed, but people not engaged in the work should be kept out of the working area.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will take steps to provide grants for asbestos removal by private householders similar to the grants made available for the removal of lead piping.
§ Sir George YoungThe circumstances in which asbestos replacement can at present be assisted with home improvement grants are set out in my reply to the hon. Lady of 27 February 1984, at column 40. The home improvement grant system is currently under review, but we have no plans to extend eligibility to asbestos replacement.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he has specifically excluded consideration of resources required for asbestos removal from the terms of reference of the joint central-local government working party on asbestos.
§ Sir George YoungThe Consultative Council on Local Government Finance will take account of any implications of asbestos removal for local authority expenditure in its normal consideration of the wider issues of local government expenditure. It is not necessary for the joint working party on asbestos to duplicate these discussions.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list which local authorities and bodies have ordered copies of the leaflet "Asbestos in Housing"; and how many copies they have each ordered.
§ Sir George YoungI refer the hon. Member to my reply to her question on 27 February 1984, at column 40.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has received any evidence as to the relative susceptibility of (a) children, (b) the elderly and (c) adult workers, to contracting asbestos-related diseases, given a high level of asbestos fibres in the air they breathe.
§ Sir George YoungThe Advisory Committee on Asbestos considered the relative risks of exposure to asbestos at different ages and concluded that,
- i. susceptibility to cancer is known to vary with age, the very young being especially at risk in relation to certain stimuli, and
- ii. as children can be expected to live longer than adults, they have more chance of being affected by carcinogens with long latent periods.