Campaign update: I hope to re-introduce a Private Members' Bill calling for a deadline for the removal of asbestos, as well as an asbestos register.
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I share local residents’ concerns about the presence of asbestos in our schools, hospitals and other workplaces, and the impact exposure to it is having on the lives of thousands of people around the country.
It is, therefore, incredibly important that we have a comprehensive central asbestos register containing up-to-date information on where asbestos is present and what condition it is in. This would help remove the current barriers to dealing with the risk posed to the public and support a longer-term strategic approach to managing asbestos. It would also provide vital information on the level of compliance by those with a duty to manage asbestos on their premises, and ensure that enforcement action is focused in the right areas.
I am committed to pressing for such a register to be introduced and for work to eliminate all asbestos to begin at pace, having:
- Met with the Loughborough-based charity Mesothelioma UK to discuss the impact of this asbestos-related condition on sufferers’ health and wellbeing
- Held a Westminster Hall debate with the Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression, attended by the Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee
- Asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions a written question about the Health and Safety Executive’s review on asbestos-related retained EU Law
- Asked the Prime Minister about setting up an asbestos register at Prime Minister’s Questions
- Written to the Chair of the Health and Safety Executive about introducing a register and their review of retained EU law
- Successfully applied for a Ten Minute Rule Bill on introducing a register
- Organised a meeting with the Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression, MPs, the Chair of the Health and Safety Executive, officials from the Asbestos Testing and Consultancy Association and the National Organisation of Asbestos Consultants, and the co-founder of the UK National Asbestos Register
- Co-sponsored the Asbestos (National Register) Ten Minute Rule Bill calling for a register to be introduced
- Asked the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero a written question about the removal of asbestos from schools and hospitals
- Coordinated a letter, which was signed by 12 other MPs, to the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work pressing for the Government to work at speed to address the ongoing dangers
- Co-signed an amendment to the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill which would require freeholders of apartment buildings to remove any asbestos before selling to leaseholders.
Going forward, I will be continuing my discussions with Mesothelioma UK, the Government, the Health and Safety Executive and other stakeholders.
