HC Deb 19 November 2001 vol 375 cc44-5W
Mr. Salmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the medical basis for the European Commission's proposed physical agents directive; and if he will make a statement. [15685]

Dr. Whitehead

[holding answer 16 November 2001]: The two proposed physical agents directives on vibration and noise are based on known health effects. There is an internationally accepted dose-response relationship between exposure to noise and the risk of hearing loss and between exposure to hand-arm vibration and the risk of hand-arm vibration syndrome. There is an association between exposure to whole body vibration and back pain, though the dose-response relationship is not clear.

Mr. Salmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent representations the Government have made to the European Commission regarding the proposed physical agents directive; and if he will make a statement. [15686]

Dr. Whitehead

[holding answer 16 November 2001]: The two proposed physical agents directives on vibration and noise have already reached common position in the Council of Ministers. The European Commission attended negotiations in the Council Working Group where the Government's views have been strongly represented. UK representatives have also met Commission officials separately during the course of negotiations.

Mr. Salmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the European Commission's proposed physical agents directive on engineering premises; and if he will make a statement. [15684]

Dr. Whitehead

[holding answer 16 November 2001]: The Government have not costed the implications to individual industry sectors of the two proposed physical agents directives on vibration and noise. Regulatory impact assessments of the common position reached on both directives covering the costs to industry as a whole and the health benefits to workers have been prepared by the Health and Safety Executive. The RIA on the vibration directive has already been submitted to the European Scrutiny Committee and is available in the House of Commons Library; I will shortly submit the RIA on the noise directive and place it in the Library.