§ Mr. FaberTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the future of the civil service occupational health service.
Mr. Robert G. HughesThe first review of the OHS has shown that it has performed well since becoming an agency of the Cabinet Office—Office of Public Science and Service—in 1990. Agency status within central Government has allowed it to develop a comprehensive, high-quality, professionally based occupational health service for civil service departments and agencies, which has kept pace with the changing structure and needs of the civil service and with developments in the fields of occupational health and safety. The review has also been helpful in identifying where there is room for improvement.
In the light of this and the state of the wider market for occupational health services, I have agreed that the OHS will remain as an executive agency.
We shall continue to seek improvements in the operation of the OHS and will review it again under normal procedures for executive agencies. I have also agreed that in future is should be known as the Civil Service Occupational Health and Safety Agency, better to reflect the full range of its services.
I am today placing in the Library of the House a summary of the findings of the review.