§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Employment when he anticipates receiving the Chief Inspector of Factories' report for 1977; and if he will explain the delay in compilation and publication.
§ Mr. John Grant:I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the Health and Safety Executive's manufacturing and service industries report, which has superseded the annual report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Factories since 1975, will be published on 24th January 1979. It had be en the hope of the Health and Safety
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§ Mr. John Grant:The table below gives the numbers of inspectors in post by location and duties in Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate at 1st October 1978.
In addition the percentage of inspectors regularly engaged in factory inspection is given.
Executive to publish the report earlier but there have been unavoidable delays in the collection and processing of statistics and in the printing arrangements.
§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Employment, in the light of the fact that statistics used for the compilation of the Chief Inspector of Factories' annual report are withheld from the public until publication, if he will end this practice so that information can be freely available.
§ Mr. John Grant:I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that whilst full tables and analyses are published annually in the Health and Safety Executive's manufacturing and service industries reports, it 413W had been the practice for many years to publish provisional accident statistics quarterly, in the Department of Employment Gazette. Since August 1978 the Health and Safety Executive has replaced this by the introduction of its Quarterly Press Bulletin in which more detailed, comprehensive and topical information is now given. Copies are available in the Library.