HC Deb 11 December 1990 vol 182 cc391-5W
Mr. Alfred Morris

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many members of the Health and Safety Executive staff are directly contributing to CEN technical committees and the related working groups;

(2) what representations he has received concerning the adequacy of the travel expenses being made available to allow the inspectors involved with CEN technical committees and related working groups to attend all meetings where standards are developed and set (a) in the current year and (b) in 1991–92; and if he will make a statement;

(3) what sums have been made available by the Health and Safety Executive, in providing expenses for inspectors to travel in Europe to attend CEN standard-setting meetings;

(4) on what occasions, and in respect of which CEN committees or working groups, an inspector has been prohibited from attending a CEN meeting because expenses money is not available;

(5) which Health and Safety Executive national interest groups are involved with CEN technical committees and related working groups;

(6) what steps are taken to ensure that sufficient resources are made available so that Health and Safety Executive staff may attend all relevant CEN technical committees and relevant working groups;

(7) if he will list all the CEN technical committees and working groups which have been assessed as needing the involvement of the Health and Safety Executive;

(8) if he will make a statement on the priority given to the work of CEN in respect of ensuring good standards of machinery guarding, to protect workers from injury.

Mr. Forth

In the last few years the Health and Safety Executive has made a large contribution to the work of CEN and the other European bodies making standards important to health and safety at work. This it does by participation in British Standards Institute committees shadowing work in CEN and as part of the United Kingdom delegation to CEN from BSI. A few examples of areas covered include simple pressure vessels, personal protective equipment and in particular machinery safety, where HSE is very conscious of the need to maintain high levels of protection.

The importance HSE attaches to standards work is reflected in the growth in resources it has devoted to it, which has risen from around 27 staff years in 1988–89 to an estimated 50 staff years in 1990–91. Most of this increase is accounted for by the rapid growth in standards making in Europe, particularly by CEN.

Although standards are a significant element in the safety system they are not the only part nor necessarily the most important. When it became apparent that the current rate of growth in standards making in Europe in connection with the single market would lead to spending of 68 staff years in 1991–92, the HSE concluded that such a level could not be sustained without unacceptable damage to its other priorities for safety and health. The Health and Safety Commission subsequently decided that the resources committed to standards work should be held at around the present level of 58 staff years for 1991–92, and its reasons were published in its most recent plan of work, for 1990–91, and beyond.

The executive does not allocate a specific sum to CEN work nor identify costs in this way but exercises firm control over all time, travel and subsistence costs. The task of making standards, especially those needed for the single market is, of course, primarily one for industry and the Government have long been encouraging United Kingdom industry to increase its involvement. Controlling this growth in standards work means that individual members of the HSE will not be able to attend certain CEN meetings. I have received representations on this point, but it is absolutely right that the executive should set its own priorities for staff work. The HSE staff engaged in this work are people with scarce specialist skills which are in great demand to support the executive's general role. Conflicting demands on such resources always mean that priorities must be allocated: sometimes very worth while relevant activities have to take their place behind other more important tasks. Further, it is often the case that an acceptable alternative to attendance at CEN committees is for the executive to play an active role in the relevant BSI technical committees.

At present 50 individual staff are members of CEN/CENELEC technical committees and related working groups: there are many other staff taking an active part in BSI shadow committees, examining papers and providing support work. A list of the national interest groups involved with this CEN work is at table 1 and the CEN committees with which HSE is involved are at table 2.

Table 1

Health and Safety Executive National Interest Groups involved in CEN technical committees and related working groups

  • Agriculture—Livestock and Stationary Machinery
  • Agriculture—Crop Production
  • Agriculture—Forestry
  • Ceramics
  • Concrete
  • Cotton
  • Drinks and Packaging
  • Engineering "A"
  • Engineering "B"
  • Food
  • Glass
  • Molten Metals
  • Paper and Board
  • Plastics, Leather and Footwear
  • Printing
  • Quarries
  • Rubber
  • Woodworking
  • Wool

Table 2

CEN Committees with an HSE input

  • CEN BT 2
  • CEN BT 3
  • CEN PC 3
  • CEN TC 10
  • CEN TC 20
  • CEN TC 23
  • CEN TC 23 SC 1
  • CEN TC 23 SC 2
    • 393
  • CEN TC 23 SC 3
  • CEN TC 33
  • CEN TC 45 WGE
  • CEN TC 48
  • CEN TC 49
  • CEN TC 53
  • CEN TC 54
  • CEN TC 58
  • CEN TC 61
  • CEN TC 62
  • CEN TC 68
  • CEN TC 69 WG 10
  • CEN TC 69 WG 10–2
  • CEN TC 69 WG 10–6
  • CEN TC 79
  • CEN TC 79 WG 7
  • CEN TC 85
  • CEN TC 85 WG 1
  • CEN TC 85 WG 3
  • CEN TC 85 WG 4
  • CEN TC 93
  • CEN TC 98
  • CEN TC 102
  • CEN TC 106
  • CEN TC 108
  • CEN TC 109
  • CEN TC 114
  • CEN TC 114 WG 1
  • CEN TC 114 WG 2
  • CEN TC 114 WG 3
  • CEN TC 114 WG 5
  • CEN TC 114 WG 6
  • CEN TC 114 WG 7
  • CEN TC 114 WG 8
  • CEN TC 114 WG 10
  • CEN TC 114 WG 11
  • CEN TC 114 WG 12
  • CEN TC 114 WG 15
  • CEN TC 119
  • CEN TC 121 WG 1
  • CEN TC 121 WG 2
  • CEN TC 121 WG 5A
  • CEN TC 121 WG 5B
  • CEN TC 121 WG 5B SWG 1
  • CEN TC 121 WG 5B SWG 2
  • CEN TC 121 WG 5B SWG 6
  • CEN TC 121 WG 7
  • CEN TC 122
  • CEN TC 122 WG 1
  • CEN TC 122 WG 2
  • CEN TC 122 WG 3
  • CEN TC 122 WG 6
  • CEN TC 124
  • CEN TC 128
  • CEN TC 129
  • CEN TC 131
  • CEN TC 135
  • CEN TC 137
  • CEN TC 137 WG 1
  • CEN TC 137 WG 2
  • CEN TC 138
  • CEN TC 140
  • CEN TC 142
  • CEN TC 143
  • CEN TC 144 WG 1
  • CEN TC 144 WG 2
  • CEN TC 144 WG 3
  • CEN TC 144 WG 6
  • CEN TC 144 WG 7
  • CEN TC 145
  • CEN TC 145 WG 1
  • CEN TC 145 WG 2
  • CEN TC 145 WG 3
  • CEN TC 145 WG 4
  • CEN TC 145 WG 6
  • CEN TC 145 WG 7
  • CEN TC 145 WG 8
  • CEN TC 146
  • CEN TC 146 WG 1
  • CEN TC 146 WG 2
    • 394
  • CEN TC 146 WG 3
  • CEN TC 147
  • CEN TC 147 WG 1 M
  • CEN TC 147 WG 2 M
  • CEN TC 147 WG 4 C
  • CEN TC 147 WG 5 M
  • CEN TC 148
  • CEN TC 148 WG 1
  • CEN TC 148 WG 2
  • CEN TC 148 WG 3
  • CEN TC 148 WG 4
  • CEN TC 150
  • CEN TC 151
  • CEN TC 151 WG 4
  • CEN TC 151 WG 5
  • CEN TC 151 WG 6
  • CEN TC 151 WG 9
  • CENTC 151 WG 10
  • CEN TC 152
  • CEN TC 153
  • CEN TC 155
  • CEN TC 157
  • CEN TC 158 WG 1
  • CEN TC 159
  • CEN TC 160
  • CEN TC 161
  • CEN TC 162
  • CEN TC 162 WG 2
  • CEN TC 162 WG 4
  • CEN TC 168
  • CEN TC 168 WG 1
  • CEN TC 168 WG 2
  • CEN TC 168 WG 3
  • CEN TC 179
  • CEN TC 180
  • CEN TC 181
  • CEN TC 182
  • CEN TC 188
  • CEN TC 196
  • CEN TC 196 WG 1
  • CEN TC 196 WG 2
  • CEN TC 196 WG 3
  • CEN TC 196 WG 5
  • CEN TC 196 WG 14
  • CEN TC 197
  • CEN TC 198
  • CEN TC 200
  • CEN TC 201
  • CEN TC 202 N 6
  • CEN TC 204
  • CENTC 211
  • CEN TC 212
  • CEN TC 212 WG 3
  • CEN TC 214
  • CEN TC 214 WG 1
  • CEN TC 214 WG 4
  • CEN TC 231
  • CEN TC 231 WG 1
  • CEN TC 231 WG 2
  • CEN TC 233
  • CEN TC 234
  • CEN TC 235
  • CEN TC 236
  • CEN TC 237
  • CEN TC 238
  • CEN TC 265
  • CEN TC 266
  • CEN TC 267
  • CEN TC 268
  • CEN TC 269
  • CENELEC TC 17 A
  • CENELEC TC 17 B
  • CENELEC TC 17 D
  • CENELEC TC 26 A
  • CENELEC TC 26 B
  • CENELEC SC 31 WG 1
  • CENELEC SC 31 WG 2
  • CENELEC SC 31 WG 4
  • CENELEC SC 31 WG 6
  • CENELEC SC 31 WG 7
    • 395
  • CENELEC SC 31 WG 8
  • CENELEC SC 31 WG 9
  • CENELEC SC 31 WG 11
  • CENELEC SC 31 WG 29
  • CENELEC TC 44 X
  • CENELEC TC 61
  • CENELEC TC 61 WG 20
  • CENELEC TC 61 F
  • CENELEC TC 64 A
  • CENELEC TC 74 X
  • CENELEC TC 104