§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the Health and Safety Commission publication"Newsletter"is the result of the publication policy of the Commission and Executive; how many copies are (a) produced, (b) distributed and (c) sold: and what is the cost of publication per annum.
§ Mr. John Grant, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 12 March 1979; Vol. 964, c. 11–12] gave the following reply:
The Health and Safety Commission"Newsletter"is within the framework of the publications policy of the Commission and Executive. It is published bi-monthly. Sixty thousand copies are printed at each issue at an estimated annual cost of £15,000.
One hundred copies of each issue are sent to the 21 area offices of the Health and Safety Executive for local distribution; 300 copies are sent to the CBI; and 300 to the TUC. The main distribution is made via a subscription list which accounts for 48,000 copies per issue. The balance is held by the Directorate of Information and Advisory Services to meet ad hoc demands and for issue at exhibitions where the HSE has a presence.
The"Newsletter"is free on demand, but applications by post, and regular subscribers are charged for the cost of postage.
§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the publication 116W policy being developed by the Health and Safety Executive and Commission; and why they have been considering a replacement for"Accidents"for over three years without results.
§ Mr. John Grant, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 12 March 1979; Vol. 964, c. 12] gave the following reply:
Publications are an integral part of the information and advisory service provided by the Health and Safety Commission and Executive. The aim is to provide a complete range of material which can be usefully disseminated in this way.
Since the 1974 Act the range and volume of official publications dealing with health and safety have sharply increased and continue to expand. These include guidance notes, covering a wide range of technical and other subjects, consultative and discussion documents seeking comments on proposals for regulations etc., reports of investigations into major accidents, a bi-monthly newsletter and a variety of other printed material. As I indicated in my reply to the hon. Member on 5 March, consideration continues to be given to the need for a further publication.