HC Deb 12 March 2001 vol 364 cc465-6W
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many health and safety inspectors who are able to inspect construction sites there are in each Government region. [152607]

Mr. Meacher

The number of health and safety inspectors who are able to inspect construction sites is 488. This is broken down on a HSE Divisional basis set out in table 1. These staff are nut all allocated to construction work.

Table 1: Band 2/3 operational inspectors
Division Number
Scotland 60
Yorkshire and North East 67
North West 68
Midlands 69
Wales and West 85
London and South East 65
Home Counties 74
Total 488

Generally, inspection work is carried out by Band 3 inspectors, and managed by Band 2 inspectors. Band 4 inspectors (those under training) do not normally carry out inspection of construction sites.

The current allocations to construction work for the 2001–02 workyear are as follows.

Table 2: Band 2/3's allocated to construction work
Division Number
Scotland 13
Yorkshire and North East 14
North West 13
Midlands 14
Wales and West 17
London and South East 27
Home Counties 18
Total 116

This figure includes the Band 2 managers who manage the construction groups and produces a total ring fence number of 116 inspectors allocated to construction.

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many(a) routine inspections of construction sites and (b) inspections of construction sites in response to an accident there have been in each of the last five years. [152603]

Mr. Meacher

The table shows the number of inspection and investigation contacts made by inspectors from HSE's Field Operations Directorate to construction sites (based on the Standard Industrial Classification categorisation) for each of the last five years.

Number of contacts
Inspection Inspection resulting from accident
1996–97 33,937 890
1997–98 24,828 1,087
1998–99 21,024 1,467
1999–2000 18,421 1,670
2000–011 14,309 2,769
1 Incomplete year using data up to 5 March 2001