§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what sectors other than industrial will be covered by the annual reports of the Health and Safety Commission;
(2) if he will list the sectors to be covered by the annual reports of the Health and Safety Commission and the expected publication dates of the first reports; and if he will confirm that they will be available to the general public at reasonable charges.
§ Mrs. Wiseasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) when he will lay before Parliament a copy of the annual report on the performance of the functions of the Health and Safety Commission for 1975, as required in Schedule 2, paragraph 15 to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974;
(2) in what form, and when, annual reports of the Health and Safety Executive will be available to Parliament and the public, in continuation of the reporting duty formerly laid on the Chief Factory Inspector.
131W
§ Mr. John GrantI am advised by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the Commission's first report which will cover the period 1st October 1974 to 31st March 1976 is in an advanced stage of preparation. A copy of this report will be laid before each House of Parliament as soon as I receive it. In addition to the Commission's report which will cover the whole range of its activities, reports by the Executive covering similar ground to the former Chief Inspectors' reports have also been or will be published. As stated in my reply on 10th January 1977 to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker), the statutory requirement for annual reports to be made to Parliament by factory inspectors and other inspectorates of the Executive has been repealed. The Commission and the Executive are anxious, however, to ensure that the information previously found in the Chief Inspectors' reports should continue to be available to the general public, and for the years 1975 and 1976 this information will be found in the Executive's industrial sector reports. In addition to the sector reports, particular reports on non-industrial subjects are to be published by the Executive this year, and details of these are also annexed. All of these reports are under continuous review and additional material on specific industrial and nonindustrial subjects will be published as required.
The reports are published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office and will be available through Her Majesty's Stationery Office bookshops and most booksellers. It is HMSO policy, and the Commission's wish, that these reports should be available to the public at reasonable cost. I understand that the price of the Commission's and the Executive's reports will be in line with other Government publications.
I shall make arrangements for copies of all these reports to be placed in the Library of the House as they become available.