"Occupational Exposure Limits 1984"

HC Deb 11 June 1984 vol 61 cc351-2W

Mr. Litherland

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to reduce the price of the new Health and Safety Executive guidance note EH40, "Occupational Exposure Limits 1984"; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gummer

[pursuant to his reply, 7 June 1984, c. 271]: Material sold on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by Her Majesty's Stationery Office is priced at a level required to cover the cost of printing, publishing, warehousing and distribution — often in uneconomic quantities — to individual customers throughout the

Table 1
Great Britain
	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
1. No. of checks involving visits	41,379	38,740	31,842	30,930	31,762	34,807	34,657	24,399	23,272	26,332
2. No. of other checks	*5,000	*5,000	*5,000	5,826	7,529	18,014	15,337	13,494	16,242	16,226
3. Total pay checks carried out	46,379	43,740	36,842	36,756	39,291	52,821	49,994	37,893	39,514	42,558
4. Complaint inspections (included above)	6,508	7,324	7,638	7,986	6,900	6,044	6,649	6,930	7,118	7,058
5. No. at which underpayment found	4,233	4,893	5,290	5,541	4,843	4,276	4,738	4,941	5,365	5,155
6. Percentage of complaint inspections where an underpayment was found	65.0%	66.8%	69.3%	69.4%	70.1%	70.7%	71.3%	71.3%	75.4%	73.0%
7. No. of other pay checks	39,871	36,416	29,204	28,770	32,391	46,777	43,345	30,963	32,396	35,500
8. No. of other pay checks where an underpayment was found	4,851	6,300	5,971	6,016	5,790	6,693	7,416	5,133	3,904	4,687
9. Percentage of other pay checks where an underpayment was found	12.2%	17.3%	20.4%	20.9%	17.9%	14.3%	17.1%	16.6%	12.1%	13.2%
* Estimated figures—no records were kept.

Table 2
	Division
	London East	London West
	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
1. No. of checks involving visits	2,463	2,514	1,711	1,332	1,463	1,149	1,203	1,054	1,185	1,302
2. No. of other checks	1,138	475	1,026	952	718	556	455	1,092	954	1,204

United Kingdom. This is in accordance with the decision to reconstitute HMSO as a trading fund with a statutory obligation to recover full costs.

For many years Health and Safety Executive publications have been sold at uneconomic prices and prices have been gradually increased towards a level that will recover full costs. Discounts are available for large orders. A supply of free copies of all Health and. Safety Executive priced publications is provided to the TUC and the CBI.