§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the ratio of field inspectors to registered premises for(a) the factory inspectorate, (b) the agricultural inspectorate, (c) the quarries inspectorate, (d) the nuclear inspectorate and (e) the mines inspectorate in (i) 1980, (ii) 1985 and (iii) 1990.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe ratios of field inspectors in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)1 to registered premises were:
1980 1985 1990 (1 January) (1 April) (1 April) (a) Factories 1:466 1:695 1:690 (b) Agricultural2 — 1:2,116 1:1,619 (c and e) Mines and quarries3 1:98 1:117 — (c) Quarries — — 1:667 (e) Mines — — 1:21 1 The register of premises maintained by HSE is thought to be seriously incomplete because of the rapid turnover in businesses and because a number fail to notify as required by the Factories Act 1961. Moreover at least 100 inspectors inspect transient sites—mainly in construction—rather than fixed premises. The ratio has to be considered in that light. Informed estimates of the total number of premises subject to HSE inspection suggest total numbers in excess of 1 million. 2 Agricultural inspectors joined the Health and Safety Executive from Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Food (MAFF) in 1976. The register of workplaces was held by MAFF until after the beginning of 1980. 3 Combined figures for mines and quarries (quarries inspectorate joined the factory and agricultural inspectorate division on 1 November 1989). (d) Nuclear installations inspectors in the Health and Safety Executive are all based in headquarters. The numbers of inspectors in the nuclear safety division and the number of relevant sites were as follows:
1980 1985 1990 (1 January) (1 April) (1 April) Inspectors 99 105 160 Sites 28 29 30
§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many mines inspectors are due to retire in each year between 1992 and 1996.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe numbers of mines inspectors currently employed by the Health and Safety Executive who will have reached retirement age in each calendar year between 1992 and 1996 are as follows:
Number 11992 1 1993 3 1994 2 1995 1 1996 1 1 From 1 July.
§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the ratio of qualified factory inspectors to trainees on 1 April in each year between 1987 and 1992.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe ratios of qualified factory inspectors to trainee factory inspectors at 1 April were:922W
Ratio 1987 6.7 1988 8.1 1989 7.1 1990 4.7 1991 3.5 1992 3.4
§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) factory inspectors, (b) agricultural inspectors, (c) quarries inspectors, (d) nuclear inspectors, (e) mines inspectors and (f) factories inspectors resigned between 1987 and 1990, inclusively; and how many years of experience had they between them, in total.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe number of inspectors who resigned from 1 January 1987 to 31 December 1990 were:
Number Factory inspectors 42 Agricultural inspectors 5 Quarries inspectors 1 Nuclear inspectors 3 Mines inspectors 0 These inspectors had, in aggregate, 416 years of civil service employment.
§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the labour costs associated with(a) the factory inspectorate, (b) the agricultural inspectorate, (c) the specialist inspectorate, (d) the quarries inspectorate, (e) the nuclear inspectorate and (f) the mines inspectorate; and for (i) clerical and administrative staff and (ii) inspectors under each category both in actual amounts and as a percentage of the Health and Safety Executive's total labour costs in each year from 1987 to 1991.
§ Mr. McLoughlinInformation is not available in the form requested. The table gives payroll budgets for the divisions of the Health and Safety Executive, in which inspectors are principally employed. Separate figures for inspector grade and other staff are not available.
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Payroll Budgets—HSE Divisions1 £000s Percentage of HSE total 1987–88 Field operations division 22,019 36.2 Mines inspectorate 3,836 6.3 Nuclear safety division 4,821 7.9 Technology division 6,236 10.3 1988–89 Field operations division 24,414 36.5 Mines inspectorate 3,722 5.6 Nuclear safety division 5,815 8.7 Technology division 6,875 10.3 1989–90 Field operations division 25,673 35.9 Mines inspectorate 3,373 4.7 Nuclear safety division 7,377 10.3 Technology division 7,004 9.8 1990–91 Field operations division 37,308 44.4 Mines inspectorate 3,085 3.7
£000s Percentage of HSE total Nuclear safety division 9,394 11.2 Technology division 5,500 6.5 1991–92 Field operations division 41,368 40.2 Mines inspectorate 3,218 3.1 Nuclear safety division 10,446 10.1 Technology and health sciences division 8,631 8.4 1 Because of reorganisations of HSE's divisional structure, figures for different years are not directly comparable.
§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many factories there are which are liable for visits from the factories inspectorate.
§ Mr. McLoughlinOn 31 March 1992, the latest date for which information is available centrally, 417,316 fixed premises—which include all registered factories—were registered with HSE's factory inspectorate. There are no reliable estimates of the number of unregistered factory premises. All fixed premises, whether registered or not, are liable to a visit by HSE inspectors.
§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the last new mines inspector was recruited.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe last mines inspector was recruited in November 1988.
§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many trainee(a) factory inspectors, (b) agricultural inspectors, (c) quarry inspectors,(d) nuclear inspectors, (e) mines inspectors and (f) factories inspectors were employed, giving the number for each year from 1987 to 1991.
§ Mr. McLoughlinOnly two grades of staff in the Health and Safety Executive are designated as training grades: factory inspectors class II—for the first two years—and assistant agricultural inspectors—for the first three years. The numbers employed were:
Trainee factory inspectors Assistant agricultural inspectors 1 April 1987 81.0 36 1 April 1988 65.0 25 1 April 1989 75.0 23 1 April 1990 111.0 26 1 April 1991 144.5 43 A wide range of training, both internal and external, is provided both for new recruits and for more experienced staff in the various occupational groups employed by HSE.
§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many premises were registered with(a) the factory inspectorate, (b) the agricultural inspectorate, (c) the quarries inspectorate, (d) the nuclear inspectorate and (e) the mines inspectorate in (i) 1980, (ii) 1985 and (iii) 1990.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe table shows the available information on the number of workplaces registered with the factory, agricultural, quarries, nuclear installations and mines inspectorate in 1980, 1985 and 1990.
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Number of workplaces registered 19801 19851 19901 Factory inspectorate 309,915 395,860 386,144 Agricultural inspectorate — 319,567 239,632 Quarries inspectorate 29,021 28,800 6,000 Nuclear inspectorate 28 29 30 Mines inspectorate — — 729 1 Figures for 1 January 1980 and 31 March 1985 and 1990. 2 Combined figure for mines and quarries—quarries inspectorate joined the factory and agricultural inspectorate division on 1 November 1989.
§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current number of factory inspectors.
§ Mr. McLoughlinOn 1 July 1992, the Health and Safety Executive employed 705 factory inspectors.
§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many Health and Safety Executive inspectors with over(a) 10 years, (b) 15 years and (c) 20 years experience have left the Health and Safety Executive since 1 January 1987.
§ Mr. McLoughlinSince 1 January 1987, the following numbers of inspectors have resigned:
- (a) 28 with 11 to 15 years experience,
- (b) 10 with 15 to 20 years experience,
- (c) 3 with over 20 years experience.
§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many premises registered with the Health and Safety Executive have not been inspected since 1 January 1986.
§ Mr. McLoughlinInformation about the number of fixed premises registered with the Health and Safety Executive that have not been inspected since 1 January 1986 is not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member.