§ Mr. John EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms have been discovered in contravention of wages council legislation, per inspector, for each year since 1970.
§ Mr. NichollsWages inspectorate statistics are compiled in terms of establishments rather than firms. With this proviso, the information requested is in the following tables. The figures under each heading are not mutually exclusive.
§ Mr. NichollsOn 1 April 1979, 742 factory inspectors were in post in the Health and Safety Executive. On 1 July 1989, the total was 621.5 compared with 592 on 1 April 1988.
In order to contain public sector manpower and spending there were staff reductions in HSE, as in the Civil Service as a whole. HSE continues to meet its responsibilities with improvements in efficiency brought about by the use of careful targeting.
371WIncreased Government provision to the Health and Safety Commission and Executive over previously planned levels of £6.7 million gross for 1988–89 and £8.3 million gross for 1989.90 have allowed the Executive to increase factory inspector numbers. The Executive plans to have 640 factory inspectors in post by April 1990.