HC Deb 13 June 1979 vol 968 cc229-30W
Mr. John Grant

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what effect the 3 per cent. cut in the pay component of the 1979–80 cash limits and the freeze on recruitment will have on the staffing of the Health and Safety Executive; and, in particular, its committed expansion of the Factory Inspectorate, its increasing work on major hazards, local authority planning permission inquiries and the testing of equipment and appliances for safety purposes.

Mr. Mayhew

The effects of a 3 per cent. financial cut and the temporary freeze on recruitment are still under consideration in consultation with the Health and Safety Commission, and it is not, therefore, possible to say what the effect will be on the activities referred to by the hon. Member.