HC Deb 08 April 1981 vol 2 cc286-7W
Mr. Grylls

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how the Health and Safety Commission will safeguard the confidentiality of the commercially valuable information to be requested as a result of its proposed new regulations on the notification of new chemical substances.

Mr. Waddington

The Health and Safety Commission set out its proposals for regulations on the notification of new substances in a consultative document published on 18 February. The commission recognised that some of the information which manufacturers would be required to provide would be commercially valuable. In devising procedures to safeguard the confidentiality of that information the commission proposes to take account of existing departmental guidance on security classification.

Discussions have started with representatives of the CBI and the chemicals industry on related guidance for notifiers.