Recommendation 24

We asked about the information DfE holds on the number of teaching staff who have died from asbestos-related conditions. DfE explained that the Health and Safety Executive reviews death certificates to produce data on the last known profession of people who have died. DfE stated that it reviews the ages of those who have died from mesothelioma and were recorded as teachers. It explained that there were around seven such deaths per year in the 2000s, but between 2011 and 2020 this rose to around 11 per year. While the number of people has increased in those more recent years, DfE said it thought they were mainly those who were exposed some decades ago. In DfE’s view, because of the long latency period of the disease the problems seem to date from a period when asbestos was not as tightly regulated as it is now.40 39 July 2023 session, Qq 9–11 40 July 2023 session, Qq 78–79 16 The condition of school buildings 2 DfE’s oversight of the condition of school buildings Pupils learning in poorly maintained or potentially unsafe buildings