§ Q28. Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Prime Minister if she will transfer responsibility for the health and safety and compensation for injury of workers in nuclear installations from the Secretaries of State for Social Services and for Employment to the Secretary of State for Energy.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Secretary of State for Energy is already responsible to Parliament for the activities of the Health and Safety Commission and Executive in relation to nuclear health and safety at civil nuclear installations in England and Wales. The Secretary of 483W State for Scotland has a similar responsibility in Scotland. The position on compensation is that the industrial injuries scheme provides benefits for all employed earners who have met with accidents or have contracted prescribed diseases at work. That scheme is administered by the DHSS and I am satisfied that it is right that these arrangements should continue.