§ Mr. ClaphamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many licensed asbestos removal companies are operating in the UK in the last year for which figures are available; and how many had their licence revoked. [113325]
§ Mr. MeacherAt 1 March 2000, there were 751 asbestos licence holders on the database maintained by HSE. Not all licensees are actively engaged in asbestos removal or associated work on a regular basis.
In the period 1 April 1999 to 1 March 2000, some 20 licensees have been warned that HSE has considered revocation of their licence and will take that step unless there is an improvement in performance. No licences were revoked.