HC Deb 06 June 1978 vol 951 cc25-6W
15. Mr. Madden

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to receive the report of the Advisory Committee on Asbestos, being chaired by Mr. Bill Simpson, chairman of the Health and Safety Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. John Grant

In keeping with my announcement on 23rd May, the first two reports of the Advisory Committee on Asbestos were published on 1st June. The final report is expected to deal, among other things, with relationships between the level of exposure to asbestos dust and each asbestos-related disease and with the desirability and feasibility of substitution. These are among the most important factors which the committee will be considering in framing its recommendations.

The committee's chairman, Mr. Bill Simpson, tells me that the committee's medical working group submitted its report to the full committee on this evidence last month. The committee is now considering this report alongside reports on the manufacture and use of products containing asbestos and on substitute materials.

The committee is aware of the interest with which Members of the House and the general public look forward to its final report. However, with the wide knowledge that my hon. Friend has on this subject, I am sure that he will appreciate that much care and thought is necessary to achieve a proper balance of all the considerations before the committee makes its recommendations. This takes time, but the chairman assures me that the committee will submit its final report to the Health and Safety Commission and to me as soon as it is practicable to do so. At present, I am not in a position to give a firm date for the publication of the committee's final report.