Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Nash (Conservative) on Wednesday, 9 April 2014.

Schools: Asbestos

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report, Asbestos in Schools, published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health; what assessment they have made of the view of the Committee on Carcinogenicity of the vulnerability of children to asbestos; what recent figures they have for the incidence of asbestos-related diseases in children and teachers; and when they intend to publish their response to the evidence submitted to their review of policy on asbestos management in schools.[HL6545]

Answer: The Department for Education is currently reviewing its policy on asbestos management in schools and intends to publish the outcome of the review by the end of June. The scope of the review includes the conclusions of the Committee on Carcinogenicity’s statement on the relative vulnerability of children and the recommendations from the report Asbestos in Schools: The Need for Action produced by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health. The Health and Safety Executive publishes figures on asbestos-related deaths—including occupational information—on its website. We do not know of any figures detailing the incidence of asbestos-related diseases in children.

Secondary information