§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the costs to the farming industry of implementing the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 in each of the next 10 years. [176642]
§ Jane KennedyI have been asked to reply.
The total cost of the package of amendments to the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations brought in in 2002 was estimated to have a total present value of £1.7 billion in the 50 years 2000–50. The vast majority of this, £1.5 billion, is the estimated total present value cost of implementing the new regulation 4, the duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises.
The Regulatory Impact Assessment for the new duty to manage estimated the undiscounted cost to the agricultural industry over the first 10 years after 221W implementation to be £41 million in the first year, 33 million in the second year, £31 million in each of the subsequent four years, and £1 million in each of the final four years (valued in 2000 prices). There are approximately 163,540 agricultural premises in Great Britain.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she has given to farmers on identifying materials containing asbestos in premises under their control. [176648]
§ Jane KennedyI have been asked to reply.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has worked with representatives of the farming community, including the National Farmers Union (NFU) and the Rural, Agricultural and Allied Workers section of the TGWU, on asbestos related issues through the Health in Agriculture Group, which was set up in 1997.
Guidance on asbestos is included in the HSE guide to health and safety on farms 'Farmwise'. HSE also commented on NFU's specific guidance on asbestos.