The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is merging with the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) over the next few weeks, is to receive a cash boost of £724 million, it has been revealed.
In an announcement made to more than 800 professionals at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health 2008 Conference, Lord McKenzie revealed the additional funding, describing it as a "very good outcome".
He added that the sum reflected the importance placed on the issue of health and safety by the government, saying that its purpose is not "over the top risk assessments or mountains of paperwork".
Lord Mackenzie stated: "We are trying to get a greater appreciation of the need to manage health and safety by other professions and managers … We need to make sure health and safety is integrated as part of mainstream management training."
As a result of its merger with the HSC, the HSE is now the single national regulatory body responsible for promoting health and safety at work.