HC Deb 15 February 1991 vol 185 cc627-8W
Mr. Barry Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement concerning health and safety in the agricultural industry.

Mr. Forth

Responsibility for health and safety in the agricultural industry rests with employers and others at the workplace.

The Health and Safety Executive is pursuing a number of strategies aimed at helping the industry to achieve reductions in the numbers of accidents.

These include: targeting inspection at those workplaces that present the greatest risk to employees, the self employed, their families and the general public including children; carrying out advisory and publicity work to promote an increased awareness of health and safety in the industry; liaising with all sides of industry to improve the health and safety aspects of products.

In seeking compliance with health and safety legislation, inspectors are using innovative inspection adjudication section in London, and for Great Britain as a whole, the number of claimants who had (a) been issued with warning letters for not actively seeking work, (b) had their claims referred to an adjudication officer for not actively seeking work, (c) had their claims (i) allowed and (ii) disallowed, (d) had their claims referred to an adjudication officer for refusing suitable employment and (e) been disqualified for refusing suitable employment.

Mr. Jackson

Questions on operational matters in the employment service executive agency are the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.