Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many inspections relating to asbestos the Health and Safety Executive conducted in each year since 2010.

HSE grants licences to a small number of companies which carry out high risk types of asbestos work. HSE then visits a sample of these sites to ensure standards are met safely.

Historically HSE has only conducted inspections of organisations who hold a HSE granted asbestos

licence. Inspections of other, non-licenced work with asbestos such as cleaning up small quantities of asbestos-containing materials or drilling holes into asbestos insulating boards were not routinely recorded. Following the Work and Pensions Committee inquiry into HSE’s approach to asbestos management, non-licensed asbestos inspection activity will be recorded separately for 2023/24. Further information is available on HSE’s website here.

The table below show the number of inspections conducted by HSE of organisations holding an asbestos licence each year from 2010:

*HSE Work Year from 1 April to 31 March - **Provisional

Since 2010, the number of license holders has reduced by 30% along with a 29% reduction in the jobs they carry out, consequently requiring less inspections. HSE also moved to a centralised, electronic system to facilitate improved targeting to asbestos inspections during this period ensuring the right number of inspections to each licensee.