§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest estimate of the delay between application for, and approval of, pesticide evaluation; and what is the backlog of substances requiring reappraisal.
§ Mr. ForthApplications for approval for nonagricultural pesticides are processed by the Health and Safety Executive. For new pesticides it takes between one and two years from the date the fee is received until I and other Ministers grant approval based on advice from the independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides. For 79W reformulated products or changes in methods of application or use the period is usually as little as three to nine months.
The HSE has initiated a programme to review all pesticide active ingredients on a rolling programme. There are 77 active ingredients which have yet to be reviewed under this programme.
Evaluations for agricultural pesticides are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
FCG Location Discipline Construction Electrical Occupational Hygiene Chemical Mechanical Explosives East Grinstead 1 2 1 3 2 0 Luton 1 2 2 1 3 0 Cardiff 1 2 2 3 5 0 Birmingham 1 2 1 2 2 0 Leeds 2 1 1 3 3 0 Manchester 2 2 2 3 3 0 Edinburgh 2 1 2 1 2 0 Note: All explosives problems encountered by field consultant groups are referred to the explosives inspectorate in the HSE's technology division.
§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of specialist inspectors employed by the Health and Safety Executive; how many vacancies exist; and how many specialist inspectors have left the organisation in the last two years.
§ Mr. ForthOn 1 December 1990, the HSE employed 208.5 specialist inspectors and had 26.5 vacancies. During the years 1988–89 and 1989–90, a total of 35 specialist inspectors left HSE.