Written question asked by John Austin (Labour) on Tuesday, 17 January 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 30 January 2006. It was answered by Anne McGuire (Labour) on Monday, 30 January 2006 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Asbestos

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to remove certain processes from the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The Health and Safety Commission's (HSC) consultation on revised Asbestos Regulations and an Approved Code of Practice ends tomorrow, 31 January. HSC will take account of the views of consultees before making recommendations for final regulations.The Consultative Document does not contain any proposals to remove processes from the Control of Asbestos at Work (CAW) Regulations; all processes currently covered by these regulations would remain so.It is proposed that work with asbestos-containing textured decorative coatings is removed from the Health and Safety Executive's licensing regime, due to the much lower level of risk arising from work with these materials than previously indicated. It would, however, still be a requirement under CAW Regulations that this work is undertaken by properly trained workers using suitable controls to reduce exposure, based on a written plan of work.

Secondary information