§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the cost of dispersal of Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to Bootle; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyIt is not possible to estimate the total costs of the dispersal of Health and Safety Executive staff to Merseyside, nor to separate the dispersal costs of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate from those for the other parts of the Health and Safety Executive which are being dispersed.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the reasons for the dispersal of Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to Bootle; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Government decided in 1979 that as part of a broader dispersal programme the436W majority of the Health and Safety Executive's London based headquarters staff should disperse to Merseyside. A policy branch is being established in the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and this will remain in London when the rest of the inspectorate goes to Merseyside.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current establishment of Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and how this compares with the number of staff currently in post.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Nuclear Installations Inspectorate's current manpower plan provides for 102 inspectors and 51 support staff at 1 April 1985. There were then 102 inspectors and 54 support staff in post.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that the current level of staff of Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate is adequate to enable it to discharge its functions.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Nuclear Installations Inspectorate is currently staffed to its planned level.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will assess the likely effects of dispersal of Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to Bootle on the assessment of the safety of power stations.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Health and Safely Commission attach the utmost importance to maintaining safety standards for nuclear power stations. The inspectorate's move to Bootle should not result in a fall in standards. The Health and Safety Executive is making every effort to minimise temporary disruption of work for those, including the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, who are being dispersed.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the number of visits by members of Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to nuclear licensed sites in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe number of separately identifiable visits is:
Year Number of visits 1980 467 1981 509 1982 449 1983 491 1984 436