§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many aerial and ground pesticides contractors are known to the Health and Safety Executive; how many complaints there were about their activities in the last year; and how many were visited (a) following a complaint and (b) in the course of a formal average visit frequency.
§ Mr. NichollsThere are 35 holders of aerial application certificates known to the Health and Safety Executive; ground crop spraying contractors are not required to he registered.
The other information is not kept in the form requested but 17 complaints about aerial spraying and 24 complaints about ground spraying involving pesticides were investigated by HSE's HM agricultural inspectorate last year. For further information a copy of the inspectorate's annual report of pesticide poisoning and other incidents investigated in 1986 is available in the House Library.