§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many safety cases under regulation 7 of the 1984 CIMAH regulations are awaiting approval or examination by the Health and Safety Executive, by area office; when any backlogs are likely to be cleared; and if it is envisaged that any extra staff will be recruited in 1990–91 in this area of activity.
§ Mr. NichollsThe Health and Safety Executive (HSE) assesses but does not approve safety reports submitted under regulation 7 of the 1984 Control of Industrial Major Accidents Hazards Regulations (CIMAH). Work has started on assessing all the reports which have been submitted but it is not possible to say when this process will be completed. Information about the current position concerning those reports where completion of the assessment is outstanding could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the table shows the position in August 1989, the latest date for which information is available, and gives a breakdown by area office.
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Total number of reports submitted = 331 Area office Number of reports where assessment not completed 01 South 3 02 South West — 03 South East — 05 London North 2 06 London South 2 07 East Anglia 10 08 Northern Home Counties — 09 East Midlands 4 10 West Midlands 3 11 Wales 21 12 Marches 1 13 North Midlands 6 14 South Yorkshire and Humberside 26 15 West and North Yorkshire 5 16 Greater Manchester 8 17 Merseyside 30 18 North West 5 19 North East 24 20 Scotland East 38 21 Scotland West 3 Total 191 A substantial number of reports was submitted to HSE just before the deadline of 8 July 1989 set by the 1984 regulations despite encouragement to industry to phase their submissions. This has led to a short-term peak in assessment work which was anticipated and is being met from existing resources.
§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will establish an external inquiry, by a firm of management consultants, into the Health and Safety Executive; and if he is at present satisfied with the current ratio of management to inspection staff.
§ Mr. NichollsNo. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, responsibility for ensuring the efficient organisation and management of the staff of the Health and Safety Executive lies with the Health and Safety Commission and HSE. My right hon. and learned Friend is satisfied that HSE has in place the systems and expertise needed for this purpose. A detailed account of organisational improvements, and other actions to increase efficiency and effectiveness, will be included in the HSC/E's annual report for 1988–89, to be published on 26 February.
§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will place in the Library(a) the report of the central policy review staff on the Health and Safety Executive and (b) the report on the recruitment and retention of specialists in the technology division of the Health and Safety Executive of September 1989.
§ Mr. NichollsThe Government have no plans to publish the report of the review carried out by the central policy review staff in 1980 on the cost effectiveness of methods of implementing policy on health and safety at work. I have not received a copy of the report on the recruitment and retention of specialists in the technology division of the Health and Safety Executive. This was commissioned by the executive which I understand is currently considering its recommendations.
§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the current maximum exposure 197W limits for (i) ceramic dust, (ii) cotton dust and (iii) dust and fumes in the rubber, steel and foundry work areas; and how many enforcement visits it is envisaged will be paid in 1990 by staff of the Health and Safety Executive.
§ Mr. NichollsThere are no maximum exposure limits (MELs) for ceramic dust and cotton dust. The MELs for "rubber fume" and "rubber process dust" are 0.75 mg/m3 and 8 mg/m3 respectively for eight-hour time weighted average reference periods (eight-hour TWAs).
There are no MELs for general airborne emissions in steel and foundry work areas, although some specific processes may give rise to substances for which MELs have been set.
It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the number of visits that will be made during 1990 to each sector of industry.
§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total budget of the Health and Safety Executive; and how many Health and Safety Executive employees possess formal purchasing qualifications.
§ Mr. NichollsGross financial provision to the Health and Safety Executive for 1989–90 is £119 million; of this an estimated £35 million will be spent on the purchase of goods (capital and current), services and general contracts. The Health and Safety Executive's director of purchasing and supply, appointed in February 1989, is a member of the Institute of Purchasing and Supply.
§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the chairmen and secretaries of the Health and Safety Commission's advisory committees have any formal professional qualifications in the industries or subjects with which they deal.
§ Mr. NichollsThere are currently 18 commission advisory committee chairmen and 19 secretaries; 33 per cent. of all chairmen and 26 per cent. of all secretaries have formal professional qualifications in the industries or subjects with which they deal.
§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion, by area office, of factory inspectors, excluding principal inspectors, are trainees and if it is the policy of the Health and Safety Executive for trainee inspectors to make their trainee status known when visiting a factory.
§ Mr. NichollsFactory inspector IIs (for their first two years) are designated as trainee inspectors. The number of trainee inspectors, expressed as a percentage of the total number of factory inspectors (excluding principal inspectors), in each Health and Safety Executive area on 1 January 1990 is as follows:
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Area Trainees as percentage of total South West 30.4 South 26.3 South East 12.1 London North 17.0 London South 18.2 East Anglia 18.7 North Home Counties 23.5 East Midlands 25.0 West Midlands 9.1
Area Trainees as percentage of total Wales 29.2 Marches 40.0 North Midlands 30.0 South Yorks and Humberside 26.1 West and North Yorks 17.4 Greater Manchester 25.0 Merseyside 19.0 North West 31.1 North East 27.9 Scotland East 31.1 Scotland West 22.9 Health and Safety Executive inspectors do not normally announce their status or rank during visits.
§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to raise substantially the bi-annual recruitment of trainee factory inspectors; and what is the current target for the total number of inspectors.
§ Mr. NichollsMeasures taken by the Health and Safety Executive to increase recruitment of trainee factory inspectors include improvement of salaries for inspectors at the basic grade, more effective targeting and advertising of recruitment campaigns, and new procedures to reduce delays between interviews and offers of appointment. The HSE's target is to have 640 factory inspectors by 1 April 1990.
§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment why the Bootle health and safety office public inquiry point is open for telephone inquiries only between the hours of 10 am. and 3 pm; and if he has any proposals to extend these hours.
§ Mr. NichollsRestricted hours of opening of HSE's public inquiry points at Bootle, Sheffield and London are necessary to allow staff time to gather information and do research to answer inquiries satisfactorily. I understand that the executive has no proposals at present to extend opening hours beyond 10 am to 3 pm.