HC Deb 29 June 1960 vol 625 cc1388-90
Mr. Ness Edwards

On behalf of my hon. Friend the Member for Abertillery (The Rev. Ll. Williams), who is ministering to the bereaved, I desire to ask the Minister of Power a Question of which I have given him Private Notice, namely, whether he will make a statement on the explosion at the Arrael Griffin Colliery, Abertillery, which occurred yesterday?

The Minister of Power (Mr. Richard Wood)

The House will have heard of the tragic explosion which took place yesterday morning at this colliery, in which, I am very sorry to say, 45 men lost their lives. Two men were slightly injured.

Her Majesty the Queen has expressed her deep distress at the accident and has sent her heartfelt sympathy to those who have been bereaved.

Rescue men, wearing breathing apparatus, though hampered by two big falls, have already examined almost the whole of the affected area.

Investigations into the cause of the accident will begin as soon as possible. I have directed Her Majesty's Chief Inspector to hold a public inquiry.

I am sure that the House will join me in expressing the deepest sympathy with the families and friends of those who lost their lives, and with those who were injured.

Mr. Ness Edwards

I thank the Minister for his statement and I associate my right hon. and hon. Friends with his expressions of sympathy with the bereaved and those who were injured and, I hope, with the admiration that he feels for the courage and gallantry of the rescue teams who went down the mine at very great risk to try to do something to relieve the situation.

I speak with very deep feeling. This was the pit in which I was brought up in the industry. Among the dead are many of my workmates and among the bereaved are many of my neighbours. Abertillery, which is my home town, must be a very sad place today.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he will expedite the setting up of the inquiry? One hears of many troublesome questions, and these questions must have an early answer. Thirty-three years ago, an explosion occurred on the opposite side of the mountain, at Cwm, in which 53 men lost their lives. At that time, at Arrael Griffin, I was chairman of the miners' lodge, and I remember well that there was apprehension about the thickness of the barrier between the workings of the Marine Colliery and the No. 5 pit, Arrael Griffin. This matter was raised officially and we discussed it. We were satisfied that the barrier was thick enough.

The workings in which the explosion has occurred were moving in the direction of the old workings of the Marine Colliery. If there were apprehensions in the minds of my fellow workmen in those days, those apprehensions must be heightened by the tragedy which occurred yesterday. For the peace of mind of the men who will have to work at that colliery in future, I hope that the Minister will see that the inquiry is expedited and that the matter will be sifted very thoroughly indeed so that they may feel that all that is possible to make their working lives free of risk will have been done by those in authority.

Mr. Wood

First, I wish to say that I concur entirely, as, I am sure, the whole House does, in the tribute that the right hon. Gentleman paid to the rescue teams who worked with such great expedition and courage. We all appreciate the deep feeling with which the right hon. Gentleman spoke.

As regards the investigation, I have given my undertaking, which I readily repeat, that the inquiry will take place as soon as possible and directly the necessary preparations, of which the right hon. Gentleman will be aware, are complete.

Mr. J. Griffiths

We thank the Minister and the whole House for the sympathy which has been expressed. May I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman will direct that the inquiry shall make a thorough investigation into the problems of the special dangers which arise when work is proceeding towards old workings abandoned long ago? We have had examples of this quite recently in my part of Wales, fortunately without loss of life, but with some injuries. It is a special problem involving special dangers.

I associate myself with my right hon. Friend the Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Ness Edwards) in hoping that the inspector and those associated with him will make a thorough inquiry into these matters.

Mr. Wood

I shall certainly draw to the attention of the Chief Inspector who, as the right hon. Gentleman knows, is no stranger to the area, the considerations which have been raised.