§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will ask the Health and Safety Executive to conduct an inquiry into school teachers or caretakers exposed to asbestos. [23362]
§ Mr. OppenheimNo. Recently completed research indicates that school teachers and caretakers are not in occupations with a raised risk of contracting asbestos-related diseases. However, caretakers in all industry sectors, including schools, would be well advised to take the precautions recommended by the Health and Safety Executive when carrying out routine building maintenance and repair work that may involve asbestos materials.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many asbestos removal licences have been removed from companies operating in this industry in each year since 1983. [23364]
§ Mr. OppenheimThe number of asbestos removal licences removed from companies operating in the industry in each year since 1983 are shown in the following table:
73W
Year Licences revoked 1983 0 1984 0 1985 1 1986 2 1987 2 1988 1 1989 4 1990 0 1991 0
Year Licences revoked 1992 0 1993 0 1994 3
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many asbestos removal companies were inspected by the Health and Safety Executive in each year since 1983. [23370]
§ Mr. OppenheimInformation is not available on the number of asbestos removal companies inspected by Health and Safety Executive inspectors since 1983. The following table shows the total number of visits for each year since 1985 to companies or contractors licensed at that time under the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983. Information is not available for visits made in 1983 or 1984 as the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 did not come into force until August 1984.
Number of visits 1985 2,709 1986 1,654 1987 941 1988 533 1989 677 1990 401 1991 385 1992 373 1993 399 1994 805
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many licensed asbestos removal companies are currently operating in the United Kingdom. [23381]
§ Mr. OppenheimThere are currently 768 asbestos removal companies licensed to operate in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive does not record comparable information for Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many asbestos removal companies have been prosecuted in each year since 1983; what was the average fine; what was the lowest and highest fine; and what offences were committed. [23365]
§ Mr. OppenheimStatistics relating to the prosecution of licensed asbestos removal contractors are laid out in the following table. The figures relate only to offences by licensed asbestos removal contractors under the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 and the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 and the Asbestos Regulations 1969 which CAWR replaced. No information is readily available on the specific offences. There were no prosecutions in 1983; the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 did not come into force until 1 August 1984.
74W
Year Number Highest fine(£) Lowest fine (£) Average fine (£) 1984 3 1,500 200 733 1985 31 4,500 150 843 1986 13 3,750 100 800 1987 8 2,000 100 810 1988 6 1,500 100 583
Year Number Highest fine(£) Lowest fine (£) Average fine (£) 1989 8 9,000 250 3,237 1990 3 2,000 650 1,117 1991 6 3,000 250 1,348 1992 1 150 150 150 1993 4 3,000 530 1,570 1994 2 8,000 150 4,075
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) improvement and (b) prohibition notices have been served on asbestos removal companies each year since 1983. [23369]
§ Mr. OppenheimThe following table gives the available information on the number of improvement and prohibition notices issued to licensed asbestos removal companies under the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 and the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 and the Asbestos Regulations 1969, which CAWR replaced.
Year Number of improvement notices Number of prohibition notices 1983 Not available Not available 1984 Not available Not available 1985 9 71 1986 5 40 1987 1 15 1988 1 11 1989 3 14 1990 2 12 1991 Nil 6 1992 1 13 1993 Not yet available Not yet available 1994 Not yet available Not yet available Note:
Figures for 1983 and 1984 are not available because these years precede the collection of data on prohibition and improvement notices.