HC Deb 25 June 1996 vol 280 cc89-91W
Mr. Ian McCartney

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage on how many occasions in each of the past five years health and safety problems in her Department and its agencies have been reported via internal monitoring; and on how many occasions the Health and Safety Commission has become involved. [33464]

Mr. Sproat

The Health and Safety Commission has not become involved in any incident relating to my Department but has visited the Historic Royal Palaces agency six times since 1993 in connection with injuries or investigation of work-related ill health incidents.

The HSE was also called in on one occasion to the Royal Parks agency to investigate the death of a cyclist in Hyde Park in 1995. Liability for this incident fell on others and not the Royal Parks Agency.

My Department and its agencies have structures for identifying and reporting potential health and safety problems as part of more general building and maintenance monitoring. It is not possible to identify separately which maintained requirements were health and safety related.

Mr. McCartney

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the cost in each of the past five years of(a) sick pay and (b) compensation paid to employees of her Department or their families, or members of the public, as a result of (i) minor, (ii) major and (iii) fatal injuries related to the work of his Department, detailing incidents involving information technology and those involving expenditure of more than £5,000. [33466]

Mr. Sproat

Although my Department has paid no amounts of sick pay or compensation to employees, their families, or members of the public as a result of injuries, my two agencies have made the following payments:

Those involving expenditure of over £5,000:

  • Historic Royal Palaces agency
    1. 1. An employee slipped and suffered minor back injury leading to a pain disorder syndrome. Costs from 1992 to 1996 were
      • £18,000 sick pay
      • £23,633 compensation to DSS for benefits paid
      • £12,500 out of court settlement
    2. 2. An employee suffered from repetitive strain injury allegedly related to typing duties. Sick pay costs were:
      • £7,434(1992)
      • £14,288 (1993)
      • £11,713(1994)
    3. 3. A member of the public broke a leg on stairs in 1994. Costs were:
      • £4,000 compensation
      • £6,609 costs
  • The Royal Parks agency;
    1. 1. In 1993–94 £12,500 was paid to a gardener in respect of head injuries suffered in 1991 when the gardener was employed by the Department of the Environment. The injuries were caused by a mechanical drill.
    2. 2. In 1996–97 £51,492 was paid in respect of a back injury suffered by a police constable while on duty in St. James's Park police station in November 1992.

Costs relating to other major incidents each costing less than £5,000 were:>

  • Historic Royal Palaces agency;
    • Sick pay
    • £3,389 (1993)
    • £812 (1994)
    • £3,412 (1995)
    • £550 (1996 to date)
  • Compensation payments
    • £2,000(1992)
    • £27 (1993)
    • £3,067(1994)
    • £3,744 (1995)
  • Royal Parks agency;
    • The amounts of compensation paid since 1993 are:
    • £18,989 (1993–94)
    • £3,900 (1994–95)
    • £5,161 (1995–96)
    • £51,492 (1996–97 to 31 May)

The Royal Parks agency cannot identify the amounts of sick pay which result from work-related injuries and it has not been feasible for the Historic Royal Palaces agency to determine the costs of all sick pay incurred for minor injuries.

Mr. McCartney

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the cost in each of the past five years of rectifying working conditions that were the responsibility of her Department and its agencies, to bring them up to acceptable health and safety standards, detailing incidents involving information technology and those involving expenditure of more than £5,000. [33467]

Mr. Sproat

Neither my Department nor the Historic Royal Palaces agency can identify such costs. In the majority of cases the works are carried out under other maintenance, project or refurbishment works and are not costed separately.

The Royal Parks agency has expended the following amounts on health and safety related works. These figures relate to both the agency's working premises and the public areas and cannot be separated further:

  • £95,051 (1993–94)
  • £311,113 (1994–95)
  • £381,915 (1995–96)
  • £64,108 (1996–97 to 31 May)

The Royal Parks agency has spent £200 per annum on information technology related works.

Mr. McCartney

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many(a) minor, (b) major and (c) fatal injuries have been suffered by staff in her Department and its agencies in work-related incidents in each of the past five years, showing in each year how many were related to information technology and giving details of all incidents involving fatalities. [33465]

Mr. Sproat

The statistics for my Department and its two agencies are as follows:

Category 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97
Minor 117 187 122 15
Major 5 5 3 0
Fatality 0 0 0 0

One of the above minor injuries relates to information technology and was the temporary recurrence of a previous repetitive strain injury.

There are no reliable records prior to 1993 but one injury relating to information technology within the Historic Royal Palaces agency is known to have occurred in 1992 resulting in the loss of 815 days' work.