§ Mr. Juddasked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the latest statistics for accidents to personnel in Portsmouth Naval Dockyard with particular reference to the declining size of the civilian labour force.
§ Mr. BuckIn the past four years the numbers of reportable accidents in relation to the total numbers of industrial personnel employed in Her Majesty's naval base, Portsmouth, and other naval establishments in the area were:
Year Number of industrial personnel employed Number of reportable accidents Accidents per 1,000 persons 1969 11,154 552 49.49 1970 10,728 566 52.8 1971 10,726 425 39.6 1972 10,109 475 47.0 It is some comfort to note that the total time lost through accidents was lower in 1972 than it was in 1971.
Management is aware of the need to secure a reduction in the accident rate and it is hoped that this will be achieved through the accident prevention education programme currently in force at Portsmouth naval base.