HC Deb 24 February 2004 vol 418 cc386-7W
Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place an obligation on companies to publish, within their annual report, a statement containing(a) their health and safety policy and (b) initiatives that have been taken to implement these policies. [155820]

Jacqui Smith

I have been asked to reply.

The Government have no plans to place an obligation on companies to publish within their annual report a statement containing their health and safety policy.

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to lift Crown immunity with regards to health and safety legislation. [155821]

Mr. Browne

The requirements of health and safety legislation apply to Crown bodies, but they are immune from statutory health and safety enforcement.

The Government will seek a legislative opportunity, when parliamentary time allows, to remove this immunity.

In the meantime the Health and Safety Executive uses non-statutory arrangements to enforce health and safety requirements in Crown bodies', including censuring Crown bodies in circumstances, where but for Crown immunity, prosecution would have been justified.

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the budget was in(a) cash and (b) real terms of the Health and Safety Executive for each year since 1997; and what the forecast budgets for the next three years are. [155822]

Mr. Browne

The annual budgets allocated to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) from 1997–98 to 2005–06 are set out in the table.

HSE's annual budgets
£ million
Budget1
1997–08 174.1
1998–09 175.7
1999–2000 180.6
2000–01 181.3
2001–02 199.4
2002–03 210.4
2003–04 225.5
2004–05 225.5
2005–06 223.5
1 The budget for HSE in 2006–07 will be confirmed by autumn this year as part of the 2004 spending review exercise.

Notes: Budget figures are the total amount voted by Parliament to HSE. HSE's budgets up to and including 2000–01 were based on the Grant in Aid (cash) voted to the organisation. From 2001–02, Government replaced 'cash' allocations with Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) arrangements. Under RAB, HSE bids for resources and produces accounts on an accruals basis, which include costs for depreciation, the cost of capital and provisions for liabilities. The 'cash' and 'RAB' figures are not directly comparable. Rounded to the nearest £100k. Following the Cullen Inquiry additional ring-fenced funding was allocated to HSE to spend across years 2002–03 to 2004–05 to improve rail safety. This is not shown in the annual budget figures.