HC Deb 12 June 1996 vol 279 cc160-2W
Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tonnes of asbestos has been imported into the United Kingdom in each year since 1970. [32031]

Mr. Clappison

This information is not available in the required form. However, it is estimated that imports of asbestos peaked in 1973 at around 195,000 tonnes, and have since declined to around 11,000 tonnes per annum. Imports of blue and brown asbestos ceased in 1972 and 1980 respectively.

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many prosecutions have been made since 1970 for breach of asbestos regulations. [32035]

Sir Paul Beresford

Information is readily available only since 1 April 1986. The latest year for which information is available is 1994–95. The number of informations laid under asbestos regulations by inspectors in HSE's field operations directorate since 1 April 1986 is shown in the table:

Regulations Informations laid from 1986/87 to 1994/95
Asbestos Regulations 19691 35
Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 133
Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 19852 nil
Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 269
Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1992 nil
1 Revoked from 1 March 1988
2 Revoked from 1 January 1993.

Details of proceedings taken by other enforcing authorities under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 are not readily available.

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the research which he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the development of knowledge of the hazardous properties of asbestos. [32033]

Mr. Clappison

The hazardous properties of asbestos are well known and have been extensively researched by my Department. The results of that work and work commissioned by others are well documented in the scientific literature. Recently, the Department of the Environment has been researching the risks to health from exposure to asbestos in the non-workplace environment. The results of this research will be published early next year. Information on DOE's research programme is published biannually in "Research Report, DOE Science". In addition, the Helath and Safety Executive continues its programme of research into the hazards of asbestos and other fibrous materials in the workplace. Information on HSE's research programme is given in its publication "Mainstream Research Market 1996–97". HSE will also shortly publish a review of the toxicology of fibrous materials.

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many approvals the Health and Safety Executive has withdrawn for respiratory protective equipment associated with asbestos work since January 1990. [32028]

Sir Paul Beresford

None. However, since July 1995, new respiratory protective equipment has not required the Health and Safety Executive's approval.

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money the Health and Safety Executive has spent on researching measures to prevent exposure to asbestos at the workplace for each year since 1986. [31989]

Sir Paul Beresford

The information requested is not readily available in a disaggregated form. The Health and Safety Executive sponsors a wide-ranging programme of research to underpin its enforcement, technical standard-setting and policy work. Some of this addresses measures to prevent exposure to asbestos specifically, but other parts of it cover more general aspects of exposure control that nevertheless have an impact on controlling exposure to asbestos.

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much asbestos is currently estimated to exist in United Kingdom buildings. [31991]

Mr. Clappison

This information is not available in the required form. However, the Department of the Environment has commissioned research to estimate the amount of asbestos in homes. The results of this research will be published early next year.

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many notifications of asbestos work have been recorded by the Health and Safety Executive for each year since 1986. [31993]

Sir Paul Beresford

The Health and Safety Executive does not maintain a central record of notifications received by its area offices under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 or under the conditions of licences granted under the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983. However, a telephone survey of HSE area offices undertaken in December 1995 produced the following figures:

Year Notifications received under the conditions of licences granted under the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983
1992–93 8,895
1993–94 7,954
1994–95 7,829

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tonnes of asbestos roof tiles were imported into the United Kingdom in each year since 1990. [32030]

Mr. Clappison

This information is not available in the required form. However, it is estimated that around 40 per cent. of the asbestos currently imported into the United Kingdom is used for producing asbestos cement, and this cement is largely used for roofing products and slates.

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which asbestos products are currently used in building materials. [32034]

Mr. Clappison

White asbestos may be used in building materials apart from those products specified in the schedule to the Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1992 (SI 3067). In practice, the main current use of asbestos is in asbestos cement roofing products and cladding. The use of blue and brown asbestos was banned in 1986 and this ban was extended to all other forms of amphibole asbestos in 1993.

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money has been provided by the Health and Safety Executive for campaign work aimed at raising(a) employee and (b) public awareness of the dangers of asbestos for each year since 1990. [31990]

Sir Paul Beresford

The Health and Safety Executive's campaign on raising awareness of the risks from asbestos is aimed at both employees and employers, and so expenditure on campaigns aimed at employees only cannot be distinguished. The expenditure on publicity campaigns addressed to both employers and employees is shown in the table:

Year Employers and employees £
1990–91 nil
1991–92 nil
1992–93 nil
1993–94 nil
1994–95 469,700
1995–96 2,000
1996–97 (to date) 5,500

This does not include internal staff costs, such as action by HSE inspectors. Further expenditure on raising awareness of asbestos amongst employers and employees will be incurred this year during the second phase of HSE's campaign "Good Health is Good Business".

The Health and Safety Executive is not responsible for raising public awareness of the dangers of asbestos, and has therefore incurred no expenditure in this respect. The Department of the Environment published a leaflet for the public on asbestos in housing in 1991 and is currently preparing a revised version of this guidance.

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what year(a) blue and (b) brown asbestos was prohibited from being used as a construction industry material. [32007]

Mr. Clappison

The marketing and use of blue and brown asbestos, and materials containing those minerals, was prohibited under the Asbestos (Prohibition) Regulations 1985 (SI 910) which came into force on 1 January 1986.

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