| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
16 Nov 2004 : Column 1320W—continued
Gas Safety
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by the Health and Safety Executive in the past seven years on improvements to gas safety. [198236]
Jane Kennedy: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not routinely collect information that would provide a basis for establishing the resources spent on gas safety.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fatalities arising from gas explosions are estimated to have occurred in each year since 2000. [198240]
Jane Kennedy:
The number of fatalities arising from gas explosions and/or fire from 1999–2000 to 2002–03 were as follows (commencing 1 April 1999):
16 Nov 2004 : Column 1321W
| 1999–2000 | 10 |
| 2000–2001 | 8 |
| 2001–2002 | 4 |
| 2002–2003 | 5 |
Figures are not yet available for 2003–4.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when it was decided that a fundamental review of the gas safety regime was necessary. [198266]
Jane Kennedy: The Health and Safety Commission agreed in July 1998 that the review should be undertaken. HSE initiated the review process through a public discussion document in November 1999.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many gas explosions are estimated to have occurred in the home in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002 and (d) 2003. [198267]
Jane Kennedy: The number of gas-related fire and explosion incidents reported to HSE for the years 2000–01 to the present is as follows (commencing 1 April 1999):
| 1999–2000 | 56 |
| 2000–2001 | 38 |
| 2001–2002 | 43 |
| 2002–2003 | 32 |
Figures are not yet available for 2003–4.
Gas Supplies
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of implications of the Ghislenghien gas explosion for the safety of gas transmission and distribution systems in the UK. [198259]
Jane Kennedy: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has assessed the information available on the Ghislenghien explosion, which appears to have occurred as a result of third party damage to a high pressure gas pipeline. HSE is working in partnership with the United Kingdom Onshore Pipeline Operators' Association (UKOPA) to raise the awareness of risks from major accident hazard pipelines with construction contractors and utility companies. This work will form part of HSE's Major Hazards strategic programme for 2005–06.
Green Ministers
Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many departmental Green Ministers there have been since 1997. [197838]
Mr. Pond:
The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security (DSS) and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) including the Employment Service (ES). Since that date there has been one Green Minister—my noble friend the right hon. Baroness Hollis of Heigham.
16 Nov 2004 : Column 1322W
Health and Safety
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Health and Safety Executive (a) regulatory contacts and (b) investigations were carried out in Scotland in each of the last seven years. [197337]
Jane Kennedy: Tables 1 and 2 show the number of regulatory contacts and the number of investigations in Scotland respectively. The data includes all operating divisions of HSE, and figures are given for both accident and complaint investigations.
| Total HSE contacts | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 25,319 |
| 1998–99 | 22,951 |
| 1999–2000 | 24,505 |
| 2000–01 | 29,841 |
| 2001–02 | 28,095 |
| 2002–03 | 26,687 |
| 2003–04 | 29,365 |
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many health and safety inspectors there are in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales; and how many there were in each year since 1998. [197338]
Jane Kennedy: The following table shows the total number of inspectors that are employed by the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain. Information on the number of inspectors in England, Scotland and Wales is not routinely maintained.
| At 1 April | Number of inspectors(26) |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 1,437 |
| 1999 | 1,497 |
| 2000 | 1,507 |
| 2001 | 1,534 |
| 2002 | 1,625 |
| 2003 | 1,651 |
| 2004 | 1,605 |
Note:
The figures equate to full time equivalents and have been rounded to the nearest whole number
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of information being laid by the Health and Safety Executive to support a prosecution there have been in each of the last seven years, broken down by region. [197339]
Jane Kennedy:
In the last seven years, information has been laid following Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigations, as follows:
16 Nov 2004 : Column 1323W
| HSE region | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 (26) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales and South West | 323 | 223 | 191 |
| East and South East | 351 | 239 | 364 |
| London | 93 | 130 | 68 |
| Midlands | 379 | 362 | 343 |
| Yorkshire and North East | 297 | 178 | 258 |
| North West | 178 | 229 | 164 |
| Scotland | 233 | 197 | 255 |
(26) Provisional
Notes:
1. The annual basis is the planning year from 1 April to 31 March.
2. The number of cases where information was laid in respect of separate offences by HSE in England and Wales and those approved by the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland.
3. The figures for Information laid are those heard in court, based on date of hearing.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) enforcement notices have been served and (b) prosecutions have been initiated by health and safety inspectors under Health and Safety at Work legislation in Scotland in each of the last 12 months. [197340]
Jane Kennedy: In Scotland, in each of the last twelve months for which figures are available, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors issued enforcement notices and initiated prosecutions as follows:
| 2003–04 (27) | Notices issued | Prosecutions initiated |
|---|---|---|
| April | 91 | 4 |
| May | 146 | 4 |
| June | 191 | 8 |
| July | 102 | 5 |
| August | 157 | 3 |
| September | 164 | 5 |
| October | 148 | 7 |
| November | 117 | 14 |
| December | 41 | 10 |
| January | 68 | 12 |
| February | 62 | 6 |
| March | 65 | 8 |
(27) Provisional
Note:
The annual basis is the planning year from 1 April to 31 March.
Figures for enforcement action by local authority health and safety enforcing officers is not available on a monthly basis. Overall figures for local authority health and safety enforcement activity for 2003–04 will be available in autumn 2005.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |