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Women (Promotion)
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures her Department has implemented during the last 12 months to encourage the promotion of women into senior positions with his Department and its executive agencies; and what progress her Department has made in encouraging the promotion of women over the last five years. [31543]
Sir Paul Beresford: Specific action increasing opportunities for women over the last 12 months includes the issue of guidance to remind staff about the Department's policy on sexual harassment and their rights and responsibilities; detailed analysis of a new internal advertising scheme for job vacancies to ensure that it operates fairly; and the preparation of a leaflet on equal opportunities publicising the Department's policy. Items of particular relevance to women cover flexible working and coping with caring responsibilities; plans to reimburse additional expenses for the care of elderly and infirm dependents when the normal working routine is broken; and as a follow-up to a departmental review and staff attitude survey, a study is being undertaken to consider to what extent long hours working impacts on staff and how it might be reduced.
Most of the above initiatives were taken under the Department's action plan for women published in 1993. Many others have been in place since then or earlier. They include:
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(a) a range of equal opportunities training for staff including senior management and women-only developmental training;
(b) flexible and part-time working arrangements;
(c) career breaks with a keeping in touch scheme;
(d) workplace nursery and holiday play scheme arrangements, and provision of reimbursement of additional child care costs incurred when normal working routines are broken;
Progress on all equal opportunities measures is reported to the Department's management board annually and the results of the continuous monitoring are made available to all staff. The percentage of women in the Department has increased from 34 per cent. in 1991 to 42 per cent. in April 1996. Currently, 23 per cent. of staff in the top three grades are women exceeding the existing civil service-wide benchmark of 15 per cent.
(e) raising awareness through membership of Business in the Community's Opportunity 2000 campaign and the Parents at Work organisation;
(f) the appointment of equal opportunity liaison officers in each directorate to help promote equal opportunities in the workplace and reflect local needs;
(g) ensuring that wherever possible a woman serves on promotion and selection panels and that these panels take account of equal opportunities issues;
(h) monitoring success rate by gender applies to all stages of recruitment and promotion boards, annual performance and promotability markings, performance pay and bonuses, internal postings and part-time working. Any significant disparities between the success rates of men and women are investigated with a view to making improvements to procedures;
Coal Industry (Accidents)
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations he has had with the Health and Safety Executive regarding the substantial increase in major accidents in the deep coal mining industry for 1995-96. [31930]
Sir Paul Beresford: None. The mines inspectorate of HSE conducts an investigation into all major accidents in the coal industry.
While there has been an increase in serious accidents, the overall trend in reported accidents, including fatalities, continues on a downward trend. Every effort must be made to reduce accidents further, but the UK deep coal mining industry remains one of the safest in the world.
Mr. Clapham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to inquire into the management of safety in the deep coal mining industry following the increases in major accident figures in 1995-96. [31929]
Sir Paul Beresford:
None. I am satisfied that the mines inspectorate of HSE give proper priority to ensuring the effective management of safety in the deep coal mining industry.
While there has been an increase in serious accidents, the overall trend in reported accidents, including fatalities, continues on a downward trend. Every effort must be made to reduce accidents further but the UK deep coal mining industry remains one of the safest in the world.
Mr. Chris Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to make the payment of housing benefit and council tax benefit in the areas of local authority work to be subject to compulsory competitive tendering. [31972]
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Sir Paul Beresford:
Our proposals for changes to the framework for compulsory competitive tendering for professional services includes a proposal to raise the percentage of financial services work which must be exposed to competition from 35 per cent. to 65 per cent., and limit the availability of exemptions from CCT for authorities which cannot meet that requirement without exposing benefits work to competition. The legal definition of financial services work includes benefits work and relevant authorities may well choose to expose this work to competition in order to meet their competition requirements.
Mr. Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has in the event of private sector management of the payment of housing and council tax benefits to ensure (a) confidentiality of claimant information and (b) adequate training in the processing of claims. [31973]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Statutory guidance on the conduct of compulsory competitive tendering--DOE circular 5/96--advises that it is for local authorities to specify the work to be done and the standards which must be met. Within this framework, it is for relevant local authorities to ensure that the confidentiality of claimant information is properly protected and that staff who are processing claims have appropriate training.
Further guidance in relation to housing and council tax benefit is contained within DSS circular HB/CTB A2/95.
Mr. Chris Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment where the private sector has competed for public sector work in the last five years, what percentage of work it has won. [31974]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Latest available figures from the November 1995 survey by the Local Government Management Board show that the private sector held 25 per cent. of contracts, by value, tendered by local authorities under the Local Government Act 1988. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy figures for 1994-95 for work tendered under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 show the private sector holding 56 per cent. of contracts, by value.
Mr. Chris Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response he has made to the conclusion of the report of the Business Services Association in respect of voluntary contracting out, a copy of which has been sent to him. [31975]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The Secretary of State agrees with the Business Services Association that many local authorities have failed to secure for their electorates and taxpayers the benefits of private sector provision of public sector services. Voluntary contracting out is one way of securing such benefits. It is pleasing to note that the director general of the Business Services Association has welcomed our proposals for changes to the framework for compulsory competitive tendering of professional services, which we announced on 21 May.
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Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tonnes of asbestos has been imported into the United Kingdom in each year since 1970. [32031]
Mr. Clappison:
This information is not available in the required form. However, it is estimated that imports of asbestos peaked in 1973 at around 195,000 tonnes, and have since declined to around 11,000 tonnes per annum. Imports of blue and brown asbestos ceased in 1972 and 1980 respectively.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many prosecutions have been made since 1970 for breach of asbestos regulations. [32035]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Information is readily available only since 1 April 1986. The latest year for which information is available is 1994-95. The number of informations laid under asbestos regulations by inspectors in HSE's field operations directorate since 1 April 1986 is shown in the table:
| Regulations | Informations laid from 1986/87 to 1994/95 |
|---|---|
| Asbestos Regulations 1969(4) | 35 |
| Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 | 133 |
| Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1985(5) | nil |
| Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 | 269 |
| Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1992 | nil |
(4) Revoked from 1 March 1988
(5) Revoked from 1 January 1993.
Details of proceedings taken by other enforcing authorities under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 are not readily available.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the research which he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the development of knowledge of the hazardous properties of asbestos. [32033]
Mr. Clappison:
The hazardous properties of asbestos are well known and have been extensively researched by my Department. The results of that work and work commissioned by others are well documented in the scientific literature. Recently, the Department of the Environment has been researching the risks to health from exposure to asbestos in the non-workplace environment. The results of this research will be published early next year. Information on DOE's research programme is published biannually in "Research Report, DOE Science". In addition, the Helath and Safety Executive continues its programme of research into the hazards of asbestos and other fibrous materials in the workplace. Information on HSE's research programme is given in its publication "Mainstream Research Market 1996-97". HSE will also shortly publish a review of the toxicology of fibrous materials.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many approvals the Health and Safety Executive has withdrawn for respiratory protective equipment associated with asbestos work since January 1990. [32028]
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Sir Paul Beresford:
None. However, since July 1995, new respiratory protective equipment has not required the Health and Safety Executive's approval.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money the Health and Safety Executive has spent on researching measures to prevent exposure to asbestos at the workplace for each year since 1986. [31989]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The information requested is not readily available in a disaggregated form. The Health and Safety Executive sponsors a wide-ranging programme of research to underpin its enforcement, technical standard-setting and policy work. Some of this addresses measures to prevent exposure to asbestos specifically, but other parts of it cover more general aspects of exposure control that nevertheless have an impact on controlling exposure to asbestos.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much asbestos is currently estimated to exist in United Kingdom buildings. [31991]
Mr. Clappison:
This information is not available in the required form. However, the Department of the Environment has commissioned research to estimate the amount of asbestos in homes. The results of this research will be published early next year.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many notifications of asbestos work have been recorded by the Health and Safety Executive for each year since 1986. [31993]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The Health and Safety Executive does not maintain a central record of notifications received by its area offices under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 or under the conditions of licences granted under the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983. However, a telephone survey of HSE area offices undertaken in December 1995 produced the following figures:
| Year | Notifications received under the conditions of licences granted under the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 |
|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 8,895 |
| 1993-94 | 7,954 |
| 1994-95 | 7,829 |
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tonnes of asbestos roof tiles were imported into the United Kingdom in each year since 1990. [32030]
Mr. Clappison: This information is not available in the required form. However, it is estimated that around 40 per cent. of the asbestos currently imported into the United Kingdom is used for producing asbestos cement, and this cement is largely used for roofing products and slates.
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which asbestos products are currently used in building materials. [32034]
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Mr. Clappison: White asbestos may be used in building materials apart from those products specified in the schedule to the Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1992 (SI 3067). In practice, the main current use of asbestos is in asbestos cement roofing products and cladding. The use of blue and brown asbestos was banned in 1986 and this ban was extended to all other forms of amphibole asbestos in 1993.
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money has been provided by the Health and Safety Executive for campaign work aimed at raising (a) employee and (b) public awareness of the dangers of asbestos for each year since 1990. [31990]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Health and Safety Executive's campaign on raising awareness of the risks from asbestos is aimed at both employees and employers, and so expenditure on campaigns aimed at employees only cannot be distinguished. The expenditure on publicity campaigns addressed to both employers and employees is shown in the table:
| Year | Employers and employees £ |
|---|---|
| 1990-91 | nil |
| 1991-92 | nil |
| 1992-93 | nil |
| 1993-94 | nil |
| 1994-95 | 469,700 |
| 1995-96 | 2,000 |
| 1996-97 (to date) | 5,500 |
This does not include internal staff costs, such as action by HSE inspectors. Further expenditure on raising awareness of asbestos amongst employers and employees will be incurred this year during the second phase of HSE's campaign "Good Health is Good Business".
The Health and Safety Executive is not responsible for raising public awareness of the dangers of asbestos, and has therefore incurred no expenditure in this respect. The Department of the Environment published a leaflet for the public on asbestos in housing in 1991 and is currently preparing a revised version of this guidance.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what year (a) blue and (b) brown asbestos was prohibited from being used as a construction industry material. [32007]
Mr. Clappison:
The marketing and use of blue and brown asbestos, and materials containing those minerals, was prohibited under the Asbestos (Prohibition) Regulations 1985 (SI 910) which came into force on 1 January 1986.
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