§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the existing legislation as to the handling of asbestos in its manufacture or removal from buildings was last reviewed; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. McLoughlinAll work with asbestos is governed by the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987. These were reviewed in 1992, together with their associated approved code of practice—ACoP—when regulations were being prepared to implement a European directive amending the 1983 asbestos worker protection directive. The Health and Safety Commission published a652W consultative document on the revisions last June. The new asbestos regulations came into force on 1 January 1993, and the revised ACoP will be published in early March.
Work with asbestos insulation and coating, including their removal, is also subject to the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983. These were last formally reviewed in 1986–87, although the Health and Safety Executive monitors their day-to-day effectiveness. Practical guidance on all work with asbestos insulation and coating materials is set out in a second asbestos ACoP which was also reviewed in 1992 and is due to be published in early March. This strongly encourages the adoption of work methods which are designed to limit the amount of dust that can be generated during asbestos removal activities.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many companies have been charged with not providing adequate safety facilities for workers employed by them in the removal of asbestos from buildings in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. McLoughlinStatistics collected by the Health and Safety Executive do not separately identify charges relating specifically to the removal of asbestos from buildings. The following table shows all informations laid and convictions secured by the HSE under the Asbestos Regulations 1969, the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 and the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987. The period covered by the table is for the latest five-year period for which figures are available. Those for 1991–92 are provisional. Details of charges brought by individual local authorities are not collated centrally and so are not readily available, but cases are likely to be rare.
Prosecution action taken under the Asbestos Regulations 1969 Informations laid Convictions 1987–88 14 8 1988–89 4 3 Regulations revoked from 1 March 1988.
Prosecution action taken under the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 Informations laid Convictions 1987–88 32 27 1988–89 14 13 1989–90 14 7 1990–91 7 7 1991–92 8 7
Prosecution action taken under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 Informations laid Convictions 1987–88 1— 1— 1988–89 21 21 1989–90 52 47 1990–91 57 48 1991–92 45 39 1 Regulations not in force.