Home and Leisure Accidents Surveillance System

HL Deb 05 April 2004 vol 659 cc206-7WA

Lord Harrison

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Department of Trade and Industry is ceasing to collect statistics under its home and leisure accidents surveillance system and to provide the accompanying inquiry service; and, if so, for what reasons. [HL2164]

Lord Sainsbury of Turville

My honourable friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield, the then Consumer Minister, announced withdrawal of support for the home and leisure accidents surveillance system on 2 May 2003, due to increased pressure on resources and the need to focus on DTI core priorities.

Statistics to the end of 2002, the last in the series, were published by DTI on 18 December 2003.

However, the DTI continued to provide the inquiry service until 1 January 2004 and since then the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents has been contracted to provide this service for a period of a further five years.