§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many Department of Employment group-wide promotion panel hearings have been held in each of the last 10 years for the purpose of appointing Health and Safety Executive executive officers. [17323]
§ Mr. OppenheimNone. All group-wide panels for promotion to executive officer have been arranged to fill vacancies throughout the Employment Department group.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many current executive officers in the Health and Safety Executive have entered the executive officer grade without going before a Department of Employment group-wide formal promotion panel hearing. [17324]
§ Mr. OppenheimThirty-six current executive officers in the Health and Safety Executive entered the executive officer grade without going before an Employment Department group-wide formal promotion panel.
Entry to the executive officer grade can be by direct entry on the basis of educational qualifications and passing an interview, or by appearing before a properly constituted promotion board.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 24 January,Official Report, column 180, if he can confirm (a) that the information requested on 19 January is contained in the Health and Safety Executive?s SHIELD computer database and (b) that similar requests for information tabled by the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) have previously been answered. [17328]
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§ Mr. OppenheimSome of the information to which I referred in my reply of 24 January,Official Report, column 180, will for the Health and Safety Executive?s field operations division, be on the SHIELD database; the rest will be kept in paper files. Inspectorates in other HSE divisions will keep information both on separate database and in paper files.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish details of(a) the Health and Safety Executives?s contracted-out advice helpline planned to commence in September, (b) the cost of the helpline in a full financial year and (c) details of the company awarded the contract. [17325]
§ Mr. OppenheimThe Heath and Safety Executive is currently advertising for firms which are interested in providing a telephone information line. The firms which may wish to participate, details of the way that the service will operate and the costs will be established only by responses to the advertisement and the subsequent contracting process.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment pursuant to his answer of 24 January,Official Report, column 184, if he will publish details of the value of the contract between the Health and Safety Executive and the Norwich offshore safety division of Manpower. [17330]
§ Mr. OppenheimThe offshore safety division of the Health and Safety Executive has placed a contract for six clerical support posts at its Norwich office with Manpower plc. The value of the contract is commercially confidential.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will(a) publish or (b) place in the Library the EMAS feasibility study; and when the prior options study of EMAS activities will be published. [17336]
§ Mr. OppenheimThe employment medical advisory service feasibility and the prior options studies are one and the same thing. The EMAS feasibility study, when complete, will be internal, confidential, management advice to the Health and Safety Executive and the commission, and will not be published or placed in the Library.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will(a) publish the proposed salary to be awarded to the new director general of the Health and Safety Executive, (b) state what percentage increase the gross salary awarded will be in relation to the current director general?s gross salary and (c) state whether the proposed award breaches the Health and Safety Executive?s declared pay norm for staff of 1.5 per cent. in the financial years 1994–95 and 1995–96. [17329]
§ Mr. OppenheimThe salaries of the current director general for the period after 1 April 1995 and of a new appointee have not yet been determined, but they will be made publicly available in the normal way. There has been no declaration of a pay norm of 1.5 per cent. for Health and Safety Executive staff in the financial years 1994–95 and 1995–96.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about the future of the Health and Safety Executive library in Buxton, Derbyshire. [17326]
§ Mr. OppenheimThe Health and Safety Executive does not have a library in Buxton, Derbyshire.
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§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 24 January,Official Report, column 178 (a) how many of the 60 principal inspector?s posts have been advertised for each of the Health and Safety Executive regions; and (b) by what dates he expects all posts to be advertised and filled. [17331]
§ Mr. OppenheimFurther to my answer of 24 January 1995,Official Report, column 178, no principal inspector?s posts have been advertised.