House of Commons Hansard Debates for 15 May 1990

Training Agency (Contracts)

Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether the total budget of the Training Agency for 1990-91 for management and computer consultancy contracts has now been agreed.

Mr. Eggar : The total budget of the Training Agency for 1990-91 for management and computer consultancy contracts has now been agreed as follows :


[TITRE                         

-------------------------------

Management |11,000             

Computer   |4,881,000          

           |---------          

Total      |4,892,000

Channel Tunnel

Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the Health and Safety Executive have any plans to compile comparative figures for accident and serious injury rate figures for both sides of the channel tunnel construction project.

Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Executive does not have any plans to compile comparative figures for accident and serious injury rates for both sides of the channel tunnel construction project. Information about accidents is already exchanged in the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority health and safety working group for accident prevention purposes. It is difficult to compare directly figures from the French and United Kingdom sides due to the different national procedures and criteria for accident reporting.

Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of the adequacy of medical facilities on the construction site of the channel tunnel and within the tunnel itself ; and what were its conclusions.

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Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Executive monitors the medical facilities at the channel tunnel site and is keen to ensure that the current level of service is maintained.

Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has on the numbers of people employed on the channel tunnel construction project on (a) the British side and (b) the French side at the end of 1987, 1988, 1989 and the latest date for which information is available.

Mr. Nicholls : Available information about the total numbers of people employed on the channel tunnel construction project is as follows :


Total employed on the       

project                     

Year          |Number       

----------------------------

February 1988 |2,218        

January 1989  |5,014        

December 1989 |6,950

Figures for the French side are not available.

Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what comparative research exists within the Health and Safety Executive into accident or incident rates on (a) civil engineering and (b) construction projects within Europe.

Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Executive has not carried out any comparative research into these matters.

Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment on what dates meetings took place between representatives of the Health and Safety Executive and their counterparts in France to discuss health and safety issues arising out of the construction of the channel tunnel.

Mr. Nicholls : Officials of the Health and Safety Executive regularly meet representatives of the French Government through the bi- national Channel Tunnel Safety Authority and its working groups, including the health and safety working group which considers safety matters arising out of the construction of the channel tunnel. The health and safety working group meets on average once a month. This year the group met on 25 January, 22 February, 13 March, 26 March and 26 April.

Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions have been held over the need to harmonise working standards and practices when the Channel tunnels meet ; and whether there will be a harmonisation of relevant national legislation.

Mr. Nicholls : A series of discussions have been held in the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority's bi-national health and safety working group on the health and safety arrangements which will need to be put in place when the tunnels meet. No final decisions have yet been taken about these arrangements.

Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will undertake an inquiry into the safety of working practices to report as a matter of urgency on construction of the channel tunnel.

Mr. Nicholls : No. The prime responsibility for health and safety rests with employers. Transmanche Link has

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told my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State that it is to re-examine all working practices and procedures in the light of recent incidents. It has agreed to share with the Health and Safety Executive the results of an internal audit of safety arrangements and work practices. The accident prevention advisory unit of the Health and Safety Executive is already undertaking an audit of safety practice in relation to the maintenance of the tunnel boring machines.

Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the death of Mr. William Cartman on Monday 7 May during work on the channel tunnel.

Mr. Nicholls : The accident which led to the death of Mr. William Cartman on Monday 7 May is currently under investigation by the Health and Safety Executive. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State met senior management of the channel tunnel contractors, Transmanche Link, on 10 May to discuss the safety arrangements on site. Transmanche Link has undertaken to re-examine all working practices and procedures in the light of recent incidents.

Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information and statistics exist about (a) accident rates, (b) death rates and (c) serious injury on the French and British sides of construction of the channel tunnel.

Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Executive holds information and statistics on accidents on the channel tunnel construction site reported to it under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR). The collection of information and statistics for the French side of the project is a matter for the French authorities. Information about accidents is exchanged in the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority's health and safety working group for accident prevention purposes.

Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the relationship between the Health and Safety Executive and the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority.

Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for enforcing the Health and Safety at Work, &c. Act and the relevant statutory provisions which apply to the United Kingdom channel tunnel construction sites. The Channel Tunnel Safety Authority is a bi-national body established under the treaty of Canterbury and its duties are set out in that treaty. An HSE official is a member of the safety authority.

European Social Fund

Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment on what date he submitted the United Kingdom operational programme to fulfil objectives 3 and 4 of ESF to the European Commission for the 1990 programme.

Mr. Eggar : The initial Great Britain operational programme applications for ESF support concerning objectives 3 and 4 were submitted to the European Commission on 31 August 1989. The Northern Ireland operational programme applications were submitted on 29

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August 1989. The European Commission has subsequently adopted the community support framework for these objectives, which determines the amounts and priorities for ESF support and now requires us to revise the programmes in accordance with these.

Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from voluntary organisations about the delays in the processing of applications for the European Community social fund.

Mr. Eggar : I have received written representations from five voluntary organisations about the delays in processing applications for the European social fund.

Race Discrimination

Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many alleged cases since 1976, of race discrimination under the 1976 Act, have been lodged with the central office of industrial tribunals for England and Wales where the respondent was either a regional health authority, district health authority or formally an area health authority ; and if he will give a breakdown by year naming each health authority, and the number of cases lodged ; how many of these alleged cases came before a tribunal, giving a breakdown by year, naming each health authority and the number of cases heard ; and how many of the cases heard by the industrial tribunal were successful, giving a breakdown by year, naming each health authority and the number of successful cases.

Mr. Nicholls : The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Schools-Industry Compacts

Mr. David Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much his Department plans to spend over the next four years to support schools-industry compacts. Mr. Eggar : Over the next four years my Department plans to spend in the region of £27 million to support schools-industry Compacts in inner city areas.

In addition, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry announced on 24 April 1990 that the Government intend to support local business education partnerships across the country. My Department will lead this initiative from April 1991. Details of the financial provision for this initiative are yet to be finalised.

Health and Safety Regulations

Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make representations to the Health and Safety Executive about the case for putting prosecutions of those breaching health and safety regulations through the Crown court and not initially through the magistrates court.

Mr. Nicholls : All cases must by law go initially to the magistrates court. Under section 19 of the Magistrates Court Act (1980), responsibility for referral of cases to Crown court rests with the justices.

Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the outcome of his meeting with Transmanche Link following the death of William Cartman on 7 May ; and if he will make a statement.

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Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 14 May 1990] : My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State met Mr. Jack Lemley, chief executive of Transmanche Link (TML), who assured him that the highest priority would be given to safeguarding the health and safety of workers employed on the construction of the channel tunnel. My right hon. and learned Friend reminded TML that although the Health and Safety Commission and Executive have extensive powers which they have used and will continue to use to enforce United Kingdom safety legislation, the prime responsibility for safety at the site rested with the management, as with any contract.

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HSE inspectors will continue to monitor safety standards at the site and will not hesitate to enforce action that they consider necessary.

Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make it his policy to encourage people on employment training courses to train in skill shortage areas.

Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 14 May 1990] : It is my right hon. and learned Friend's policy to encourage eligible unemployed people to join employment training with the aim of securing employment on completing training, including training in skill shortage occupations where appropriate, within the resources available.

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