Government Confirms Lord Young's Recommendations Plus Minimum 35 Per Cent Cut For HSE

Challenging the Government's attitude toward health and safety and the contents of Lord Young's review remains the top priority for those involved with, and concerned about, the health and safety culture in the working environment and the policies and procedures enforced by UK health and safety law.

As part of the campaign to highlight the damage that will be done as a result of government cuts and the nonexistence of real health and safety policy within Young's report many individuals wrote to their MP's expressing their concerns.

Amongst them was the NW BT H&S Co-ord's web editor Chris Ingram who wrote to his MP Angela Eagle in October:

" I am greatly concerned about the government’s cuts in the HSE of 35% which will in my view result in fewer convictions for health and safety crimes and greater deaths and injuries to workers in the UK.

We already know that there has been fewer convictions and that previous cuts have led to a big fall in both the number of inspections and prosecutions. In 1999/2000 the number of inspections made by HSE Field Operations Division inspectors was 75,272. In 2008/09 the number of recorded inspections was 23,004. This is a fall of 69.5 per cent in 10 years."

Chris added:

"The cost to the economy in increased deaths and work related illness has been ignored by this government and I am urging you as my MP to take an interest in this issue and make your voice heard.

Some basic facts according to HSE for 2008/09:

1.2 million people who worked during the last year were suffering from an illness (long standing as well as new cases) they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work. 551 000 of these were new cases.

180 workers were killed at work, a rate of 0.6 per 100,000 workers.

29.3 million days were lost overall (1.24 days per worker), 24.6 million due to work-related ill health and 4.7 million due to workplace injury.

These figures are themselves disputed as not reflecting the true picture by many involved in health and safety e.g. Hazards Campaign, and Professor Steve Tombs."

In response to Chris' letter, Angela Eagle wrote to Ian Duncan Smith Secretary of State For Works And Pensions on 27th October, enclosing Chris's letter and asking:

" Please could you explain why you feel that reducing the budget of the HSE by 35% is a 'safe cut'? Can you let me know how people will remain protected at work despite this budget reduction?

In her letter dated 16th December and received this week, Angela enclosed a response from Chris Grayling and commented:

" As you can see the Minister has confirmed that all of the recommendations made by Lord Young will be adopted. The Minister however has also stated that he is unable to say at this stage where budget cuts will be made and how
the service provided by HSE will be affected.

I understand that this reply may come as a disappointment.

I can assure you that I will continue to monitor the Conservative led Government on this issue."

Chris Grayling, Minister For Employment response to Angela Eagle stated:

"As a publicly funded body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions, HSE could not be exempt from the greater fiscal constraint and discipline necessary across the public sector.

The outcome for HSE is that it will be expected to make savings of at least 35 per cent in the funding it receives from the taxpayer over the four years 2011/12 to 2014/15. lt has also been asked to pursue options whereby more of its costs should be shared with businesses that create risks while reducing burdens on low-risk businesses.

HSE will shortly receive formal notification of its SR1O settlement from the Department which it will then translate into formal resourcing and delivery plans for the HSE Board and Ministers’ consideration. It is, therefore, too early to comment in detail on issues."

His letter concluded with:

"Mr Ingram will be pleased to know that the Prime Minister and the Cabinet accepted all of the recommendations put forward by Lord Young, who will be working with departments to put his recommendations into effect."

Chris Ingram told Unionsafety:

"Chris Grayling, Minister For Employment response to Angela Eagle is nothing more than that of of a dogmatic autonoman, and betrays total ignorance of the issue of the health and safety of workers in this country. Acceptance in full of the so-called review by Lord Young shows that the whole idea of reviewing health and safety was a complete sham, the results of which were preconceived and made to fit in with Tory political dogma."

He concluded:

" The reply from the minister actually shows that the admitted cut of 35% is in fact a minimum cut and that they clearly intend to go even further with the demolition of the HSE and the protection of workers in the UK. These are truly evil policies!"

Chris intends to respond to Chris Grayling via his MP Angela Eagle.

The NW BTU H&S Co-ord continues to urge all concerned with health and safety to contact their MPs and bombard Parliament with total opposition to the cuts on the HSE and any attempt to water down existing health and safety legislation.

Source: Unionsafety

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