Neil, you ask what qualifications Mr Young has to conduct this review, apart from being a lawyer, I presume. In 1984 and 1986 – as Employment Minister – he conducted studies into the impact of health and safety laws, as a result of representations made by businessmen.
In a report ‘Deregulation Kills’ by the GMB trade union – in which I had a hand – on the 1993/94 deregulation exercise, the following quote is taken:
‘The Government’s problem with the studies conducted during the 1980s was that they failed to uncover any evidence that health and safety laws placed any undue burdens upon business. In the earlier two studies, only 10% of the firms questioned even bothered to mention health and safety as a problem. The subject was not referred to by 178 of the 200 firms sampled, even when prompted. The later study, based upon a sample of 150 small firms, posed leading questions aimed at encouraging respondents to claim that undue burdens exist. It still failed to uncover any evidence that business found health and safety laws too costly to cope with.’
It appears that Mr Young has experience of wasting taxpayer’s money looking into problems that don’t exist. This, presumably, is why he is such a splendid appointment.
Of course it was not Mr Young who set up the 1993/94 deregulation exercise, which was left to Michael Forsyth. That exercise was estimated to cost the HSE £100,000 [taxpayer]. 7 Sector Task Groups were set up, each chaired by a business representative - the Government ensured it was a business led initiative. Members included CBI and TUC representatives and the HSE acting as secretariat. If the time contributed by members of the STGs were costed at average consultant rates for the time, the GMB calculated their input was the equivalent of around £250,000.
In the final report: Review of Health and Safety Regulation – main report: HSC May 1994, the following is quoted:
‘Health and safety regulations have never been at the top of the list of business concerns, according to various surveys over the years.’
‘The most recent evidence, however, from a March 1994 Barclays Bank survey of new businesses, again put health and safety well down the list.’
‘In fact there is very little evidence of concern over current standards as set out in British legislation. On the contrary, the evidence is that employers both accept the need for regulation and the standards which it sets out. For example the December 1993 membership survey by the Forum of Private Business suggested that most firms were content with the standards required by law.’
So what was the big outcome? HSE – and others - were distracted from their day job into going through the Statute Books to get rid of laws that were no longer used, had been forgotten about and not applied. This allowed Mr Forsyth to claim regulations would be reduced by 40%.
Having lost this particular exercise, the then Government went on to reduce the resources to the HSE. We might not have too much longer for déjà vu on that one!
Nigel