§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total cost to the Health and Safety Executive of serving an improvement notice on a sawmill in Fife, Scotland, requiring a reduction in noise from certain wood-working machinery, as a result of the industrial tribunal in Edinburgh allowing the appeal; of the total amount how much was paid to the appellants; and how many inspection man-hours were involved.
§ Mr. Waddington[pursuant to his reply, 19 June 1981, c. 422]: It is difficult to separate out costs for particular issues raised at occupiers' premises, but 1½ inspector days were spent at the sawmill in Fife when the three improvement notices including the one on noise—which was the subject of the appeal—were issued. The work for the submission to the Tribunal Appeal consumed about 20 inspector days. The chairman of the tribunal, whilst upholding the issue of the notice, modified what was required of the appellants and awarded two-thirds of the appellants' costs to be paid by HSE. That amount is as yet unknown as the diet of taxation in the sherrif court is still awaited.
I shall write to the hon. Member when I know the outcome.