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Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many quarries in Scotland were visited and inspected by Health and Safety Executive officials in each year since 1985.

Mr. Jackson : The information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, in 1989-90, Health and Safety Executive quarry inspectors made 870 inspection visits to quarrying activities in Scotland.

Wheal Jane Mine, Cornwall

Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what development of tourism grants have been (a) applied for by and (b) granted to the Wheal Jane mine, Cornwall ; and what was the amount of each application and grant.

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Mr. Jackson : No applications for grant assistance have been received by the English tourist board, nor have any offers of assistance been made, in respect of the Wheal Jane mine.

Bishopton ROF

Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment on how many occasions British Aerospace have been prosecuted for safety offences at the former royal ordnance factory, Bishopton, Renfrewshire ; and what was the result of each case.

Mr. Jackson : Royal Ordnance plc, Bishopton, a subsidiary of British Aerospace, has been prosecuted once for a breach of health and safety legislation since taking over the Royal Ordnance factory at Bishopton in 1985. The company pleaded guilty and was fined £1, 600.

Quarries

Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average time spent each year on quarry inspections by the Health and Safety Executive in Scotland ; and what is the average time taken for each quarry inspection.

Mr. Jackson : Information is not available on the time spent each year on quarry inspections by the Health and Safety Executive before 1 April 1989.

However, between 1 April 1989 and 31 March 1990 HSE spent 2,543 hours inspecting all quarrying activities in Scotland. The average time taken for each quarry inspection in Scotland in 1989-90 was three hours.

Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many officials are employed by the Health and Safety Executive in Scotland to visit and inspect quarries.

Mr. Jackson : On 1 April 1991 HSE employed one full-time quarries inspector in Scotland. However, other HSE staff, including factory and specialist inspectors and staff from the employment medical advisory service, may visit quarries to carry out investigations or surveys or for other reasons, as part of the planned programme of workplace visits of HSE's field operations division.

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In addition, a senior inspector of quarries based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne has responsibilities for quarries in Scotland and will also make visits as necessary.

Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will propose legislation to make it a criminal offence in Scotland to leave detonation cord and detonators on the surface land in and around a quarry

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without supervision.

Mr. Jackson : The Quarries (Explosives) Regulations 1988 already require quarry managers to ensure that explosives and detonators are kept securely. In particular the manager is required to ensure that at all times explosives and detonators are either in a locked explosives

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