§ Mr. Roseasked the Secretary of State for Employment how the cut-back in local authority expenditure has affected the assumptions of additional responsibilities for inspecting premises for safety purposes; and whether additional factory inspectors are to be appointed as a consequence.
§ Mr. John GrantI am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Corn-mission that the restrictions on local authority expenditure will preclude them taking on the extra enforcement duties which at one time had been envisaged. It is, however, hoped that their existing enforcement responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, in the offices and shops field, will be rationalised to avoid any duplication of inspection of premises with the Factories Inspectorate. Recruitment continues towards the 50 per cent. increase in factory inspectors already announced by my right hon. Friend, but no additional recruitment above that is being made to cover the further duties that now remain with the Factory Inspectorate as a result of the curtailment of the responsibilities previously envisaged for local authorities.