§ 43. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the detailed code of marking vehicles carrying dangerous substances to be published.
§ Mr. VosperAs the hon. Member is aware, discussions with the interests concerned are proceeding satisfactorily, but I cannot yet say when the code will be published.
§ Mr. AllaunAs it is six years since Salford fire brigade first raised the matter, will the Minister speed up publication to prevent the possible seriousness of such an accident? Is he aware that without these markings, fire brigades and the police are often uncertain how to act quickly and safely in an emergency, particularly in a built-up area?
§ Mr. VosperI am sorry that this matter has taken a rather long time. The position is that agreement has now been reached with the trade on the general form of the code and the trade is preparing a general list of the substances with code letters added. Negotiation is needed with local authorities, but I hope that we have now reached the end of the process.