§ Mr. Roger KingTo ask the Attorney-General what files held at the Public Records Office relating to the operation and enforcement of the 1931 Asbestos Regulations, or other relevant health and safety legislation, or other forms of regulation of the asbestos industry, are still closed, other than under the 30-year rule.
The Attorney-GeneralThe Public Record Office holds Home Office and Ministry of Labour headquarters records concerning the work of the factory inspectorate in operating and enforcing factory and safety legislation, including the Asbestos Industry Regulations 1931. Very few local and individual case records of the inspectorate, for the period up to 1961, have been selected for permanent preservation. None of the records identified above have been closed for longer than 30 years.
§ Mr. Roger KingTo ask the Attorney-General what files held at the Public Records Office relating to compensation for asbestos-related disease under the industrial injuries scheme or its predecessors, or to the workings of the pneumoconiosis medical boards and panels, are still closed, other than under the 30-year rule.
The Attorney-GeneralRecords of the Home Office and of the Ministry of National Insurance and its successors relating to workmen's compensation schemes and to the industrial injuries scheme introduced in 1946 are held by the Public Record Office. The records of the Ministry of National Insurance include records of the Pneumoconiosis and Byssinosis Benefits Board. Records among those described above which contain medical details or information relating to the personal circumstances of identifiable individuals are closed for longer than 30 years under the provisions of section 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958, the period of closure depending upon the ages of the persons concerned.