§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will now appoint additional agricultural inspectors to the Health and Safety Executive, to enable the executive to fulfil its role in enforcing the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 and the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986; whether he will make additional financial resources available to the executive, to assist it in carrying out its responsibilities under the Act; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NichollsThe Health and Safety Executive intends to meet its responsibilities for enforcing the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 and the control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 from within existing staff resources through a rearrangement of priorities. It is hoped that further recruitment to the agricultural inspectorate will take place later in the year.
For 1987–88 Parliament has voted grant-in-aid for the Health and Safety Executive of £1 million more than was shown as planned provision in the public expenditure White Paper, Cm. 56, and this provision was intended to include the costs of carrying out its responsibilities under the Act. Planned provision for future years is currently under consideration.