Health and Safety (Hansard, 1 December 1987)

§ Mr. Meacher
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in theOfficial Report (a) the number of appeals and results of appeals against improvement and prohibition notices for each year from 1985 to the latest available date and (b) the number of (i) applications to industrial tribunals and (ii) prosecutions made under the 1977 Safety Representative and Safety Committee Regulations for each year from 1984 to the latest available date.

§ Mr. Nicholls
The number of appeals and results of appeals against improvement and prohibition notices for each year from 1985 to the latest available date is as follows:
and prohibition notices issued by the Health and Safety Executive for each year from 1985 to the latest available date.

§ Mr. Nicholls
Information for convictions on indictment for each year from 1984 is as follows:

1984 1985 1986 1987

Number of convictions on indictment (HSW Act) 12 11 18 8

The figure for 1987 is to 1 November, six other prosecutions are pending. Figures for average fines are not available immediately. I shall write to the hon. Member when the information is available.
The table gives information on workplace visits, accident investigations and improvement and prohibition notices issued for the financial years 1985–86 and 1986–87. More recent information is not available.

1985–86 1986–87

Workplace visits 252,600 ¹245,100

Accident investigations 21,900 21,850

Improvement notices 5,585 6,570

Prohibition notices 2,343 2,900

¹ Data provisional.

503W
The number of premises on the Registers of the Inspectorates of the Health and Safety executive at 1 April for the last three years is as follows.

1985 1986 1987

Number of registered premises 727,000 723,000 ¹717,000

¹Data provisional.

These figures exclude an unknown number of sites subject to inspection by HSE inspectors, but not recorded on the registers — for example construction sites, very small agricultural holdings and tips and landfill sites.

§ Mr. Meacher
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how frequently the average (i) factory, (ii) building site and (iii) office is inspected by the Health and Safety Executive.

Year Number of Prosecutions: informations laid Number of Convictions obtained Average fine per conviction

All^{1 2} FAID³ FI⁴ A11^{1 2} FAID³ FI⁴ All^{1 2} FAID³ FI⁴

1975 — — 2,956 — — 2,732 — — 81

1976 — — 2,174 — — 2,010 — — 94

1977 — — 2,814 — — 2,546 — — 105

1978 — — 2,603 — — 2,364 — — 134

1979 — 2,427 — — 2,227 — — 184 —

1980 — 2,624 — — 2,416 — — 180 —

1981 — 1,892 — — 1,654 — — 189 —

1982 — 2,342 — — 2,057 — — 233 —

1983 2,238 — — 1,941 — — 252 — —

1984 2,207 — — 1,942 — — 310 — —

1985 2,313 — — 1,915 — — 437 — —

1986–87⁵ 2,175 — — 1,756 — — 427 — —

¹ Data include prosecutions taken by factory and agricultural inspectorate, explosives inspectorate, Her Majesty's mines and quarries inspectorate. railway inspectorate and the petroleum engineering division of the Department of Energy, but exclude the pollution inspectorate (formerly the industrial air pollution inspectorate).

² All figures exclude the results of prosecutions taken by local authorities. The latest information for local authorities relates to 1985, for which we know of about 250 informations laid under the Health and Safety at Work Act, and 200 under other associated legislation. For 1985, the number of convictions was about 420 in total. No information is collected on the average fine.

³ Factory and agricultural inspectorate only.

⁴ Factory inspectorate only.

⁵ Provisional data for the 12 month period April 1986 to March 1987.

(b) The available information for number of convictions and average fine for prosecutions against employees and employers, for all cases taken by Her Majesty's factory and Her Majesty's agricultural inspectorate is as follows:

Year Convictions against

Employees Employers

Number Average fine Number Average fine

1984 34 64 1,671 315

1985 64 258 1,605 426

¹ 1986–87 78 143 1,460 455

¹ Provisional.

(c) In 1985, one person was given a suspended prison sentence of one month. In 1987, one person was given two suspended prison sentences of nine months (to run consecutively).

	1984	1985	1986	1987
Number of convictions on indictment (HSW Act)	12	11	18	8

	1985–86	1986–87
Workplace visits	252,600	¹245,100
Accident investigations	21,900	21,850
Improvement notices	5,585	6,570
Prohibition notices	2,343	2,900
¹ Data provisional.

Year	Number of Prosecutions: informations laid	Number of Convictions obtained	Average fine per conviction
	All^{1 2}	FAID³	FI⁴	A11^{1 2}	FAID³	FI⁴	All^{1 2}	FAID³	FI⁴
1975	—	—	2,956	—	—	2,732	—	—	81
1976	—	—	2,174	—	—	2,010	—	—	94
1977	—	—	2,814	—	—	2,546	—	—	105
1978	—	—	2,603	—	—	2,364	—	—	134
1979	—	2,427	—	—	2,227	—	—	184	—
1980	—	2,624	—	—	2,416	—	—	180	—
1981	—	1,892	—	—	1,654	—	—	189	—
1982	—	2,342	—	—	2,057	—	—	233	—
1983	2,238	—	—	1,941	—	—	252	—	—
1984	2,207	—	—	1,942	—	—	310	—	—
1985	2,313	—	—	1,915	—	—	437	—	—
1986–87⁵	2,175	—	—	1,756	—	—	427	—	—
¹ Data include prosecutions taken by factory and agricultural inspectorate, explosives inspectorate, Her Majesty's mines and quarries inspectorate. railway inspectorate and the petroleum engineering division of the Department of Energy, but exclude the pollution inspectorate (formerly the industrial air pollution inspectorate).
² All figures exclude the results of prosecutions taken by local authorities. The latest information for local authorities relates to 1985, for which we know of about 250 informations laid under the Health and Safety at Work Act, and 200 under other associated legislation. For 1985, the number of convictions was about 420 in total. No information is collected on the average fine.
³ Factory and agricultural inspectorate only.
⁴ Factory inspectorate only.
⁵ Provisional data for the 12 month period April 1986 to March 1987.

Year	Convictions against
	Employees	Employers
	Number	Average fine	Number	Average fine
1984	34	64	1,671	315
1985	64	258	1,605	426
¹ 1986–87	78	143	1,460	455
¹ Provisional.