§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2002,Official Report, columns 986–87W, on asbestos, if the handling of asbestos cement will be limited to licensed contractors after the regulations come into operation. [39250]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 28 February 2002]: No. There are no plans to require work with asbestos cement to be in any way limited to contractors licensed by the Health and Safety Executive.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2002,Official Report, column 987W, on asbestos, who commissioned the (a) 1985 Doll and Peto paper and (b) 2000 Hodgson and Darnton paper; and on what basis their reports may be deemed to be independent. [39251]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 28 February 2002]: The 1985 report by Professors Doll and Peto was commissioned in 1982 by the Health and Safety Commission. Both individuals are highly respected academic epidemiologists, chosen for this task on the basis of their expertise in the subject matter. The paper by Hodgson and Darnton, was prepared as part of their day-to-day work in the HSE. Drafts of the paper were seen and reviewed by a number of external experts before it was submitted for publication, and again by peer reviewers selected by the Annals of Occupational Hygiene before its publication in this journal. Copies of the report and paper are in the Libraries of the House.
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§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2002,Official Report, column 986W, on asbestos, if he will give a breakdown of the 2000–01 prosecution figures differentiating between white and blue asbestos. [39249]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 28 February 2002]: 1 refer the hon. Member to my answer of 10 January 2002, Official Report, column 986W, on asbestos, which explained that the system for recording prosecutions does not differentiate between the different types of asbestos.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2002,Official Report, column 986W, on asbestos, if he will give a breakdown of his estimate of the compliance cost of the proposed new duty to manage the risk from asbestos to include the (a) cost of replacement materials, (b) devaluation of property, (c) premature demolition of property affected, (d) cost of collection and disposal of asbestos cement, (e) replacement of blue asbestos water pipes and (f) legal costs. [39242]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 28 February 2002]: The Health and Safety Executive included the cost of the replacement materials in the estimated removal costs provided with the consultation document. The cost of replacement materials varies by type and location of asbestos. The research the Executive commissioned for the proposals indicates that reinstatement costs could be in the region of 35–45 per cent. of the calculated removal costs. On this basis total reinstatement costs would be between £230 million and £290 million for the asbestos that is actually removed as a result of the proposals. These reinstatement costs include labour costs. These costs were included in the original overall cost estimates.
The Health and Safety Executive do not believe there will be any significant devaluation of property values following reinstatement if asbestos is removed or adequate management of asbestos remaining in place. Any on-going management costs are expected to be only a small fraction of annual building maintenance costs.
The Health and Safety Executive do not expect these proposals in themselves to result in any premature demolition. Other factors, such as the overall desirability of the property, are likely to play a more significant role in any decision to demolish. Under existing legislation, an asbestos survey has to be undertaken and asbestos has to be removed under controlled conditions before a building is demolished.
It is not possible to breakdown any cost by type of asbestos.
Information on legal costs is not available.
§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the anticipated costs are of removing all blue and brown asbestos from domestic properties. [39213]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 28 February 2002]: There are no plans to require the removal of blue and brown asbestos from domestic properties so it has not been costed. It is safer to leave asbestos in place if it is not going to be damaged or disturbed.
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§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the anticipated cost is of removing all white asbestos from domestic properties. [39214]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 28 February 2002]: There are no plans to require the removal of white asbestos from domestic premises so it has not been costed. It is safer to leave asbestos in place if it is not going to be damaged or disturbed.
§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether he plans to ban sales of domestic property containing blue, brown or white asbestos; and if he will make a statement. [39215]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 28 February 2002]: There are no such plans. Our proposals for seller's packs will help raise home buyers' awareness. The seller's pack will include a home condition report which will disclose the presence of asbestos where it is a safety hazard and is apparent from a visual inspection of the property.
The Health and Safety Executive does not call for asbestos to be removed if it is in good condition and is not going to be disturbed. In those circumstances, it is safer to leave undamaged asbestos in place, and this is what the Health and Safety Executive recommends.