§ Brian CotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many businesses recorded contacts carried out by the Health and Safety Executive since 1997 were made(a) on site and (b) through telephone calls. [110619]
§ Mr. Nicholas Brown[holding answer 1 May 2003]: The total number of regulatory contacts since 1997–98 is shown in the table. HSE does not record separately the numbers of contacts made (a) on site and (b) through telephone calls. 549W
Regulatory contacts 1997–98 186,000 1998–99 183,000 1999–2000 185,496 2000–01 192,693 2001–02 195,695
§ Brian CotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many contacts the Health and Safety Executive has had with businesses each year since 1997; what proportion of visits were made by fully qualified warrant-carrying health and safety inspectors; and how many were carried out by workplace contact officers. [110620]
§ Mr. Nicholas Brown[holding answer 1 May 2003]: The total number of regulatory contacts since 1997–98 is shown in the table. It is not possible without disproportionate effort to distinguish between contacts made by fully qualified warrant-carrying health and safety inspectors and those made by workplace contact officers.
Regulatory contacts 1997–98 186,000 1998–99 183,000 1999–2000 185,496 2000–01 192,693 2001–02 195,695
§ Brian CotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many workplace contact officers were employed by the Health and Safety Executive in each year since 1997. [110621]
550W
Carer's Allowance (CA)1 : numbers of claims received and decided in Great Britain, and their outcome, in each quarter2 from April 2001 Claims Received3 Claims Decided Quarter to end of Successful3 Unsuccessful4 June 20015 37,765 32,205 11,775 Over State Pension age Under State Pension age Over State Pension age Under State Pension age September 2001 3,160 31,820 1,595 28,560 11,965 December 2001 2,525 29,510 1,405 26,110 11,415 March 2002 2,930 32,615 1,655 28,910 12,120 June 2002 3,090 32,640 1,535 26,725 6— September 2002 5,485 33,510 5,260 29,685 12,530 December 2002 715,695 31,505 713,990 29,490 12,515 Notes: 1 Invalid care allowance (ICA) was renamed carer's allowance (CA) on 1 April 2003. 2 Figures are not available on a monthly basis. The figures given in the table are for the end of each quarter and are rounded to the nearest 5. 3 Figures for 'claims received' refer to numbers of people making claims, as input to CACS in that quarter. Figures for 'successful' claims refer to numbers of awards of entitlement, including cases where payment is not made because of the operation of the overlapping benefits regulations (although people in these circumstances may qualify for the carer premium in the income-related benefits). The date of input of a successful claim may fall in a later quarter than that in which the claim was received or from which entitlement to the allowance started. 4 A person may make more than one claim and have more than one award, and these may be input on the CACS in different quarters. Therefore, the difference between the figures for the numbers of people from whom a claim is received and the figures for the numbers of awards in successful claims will not equate to the figures for the numbers of unsuccessful claims. 5 Separate figures for people over and under pension age are not available for the quarter to the end of June 2001. 6 Reliable data is not available for 'unsuccessful' claims for the quarter to the end of June 2002 7 State Pension age is age 60 for women and age 65 for men. The upper age limit, which precluded claims to CA by people aged 65 and over, was removed on 28 October 2002. Source: 100 per cent data from the CA Computer System (CACS) supplied by Information Analysis Division.
§ Mr. Nicholas Brown[holding answer 1 May 2003]: In each of the years 1998–99, 1999–2000 and 2000–01 the Health and Safety Executive's Field Operations Directorate (FOD) deployed approximately 24 staff-years/year to workplace contact officer (WCO) work. In 2001–02 and 2002–03 respectively an additional six and eight Railway Inspectorate Contact Officers (RICOs) were deployed in HM Railway Inspectorate (HMRI), making a total for HSE in those years of around 30 and 32 staff-years.
§ Mrs. RoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will instruct the Health and Safety Executive to take early steps to ensure that contractors and sub-contractors have employer's liability insurance. [110799]
§ Mr. Nicholas Brown[holding answer 1 May 2003]: Yes. Employers (with some exceptions such as public organisations and family businesses) are required by law to insure against injury or disease to their employees arising out of their employment.
The Health and Safety Executive has enforcement responsibility for employer's liability insurance and will carry out their duties in line with current procedures.