§ The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Peter Walker)I deeply regret to inform the House that at about 7 p.m. yesterday there was a large fall of roof in a steeply inclined powered support long-wall face beneath the Firth of Forth at the Seafield colliery. Nine men were trapped. One of these escaped immediately. Five others were thereafter rescued, two of whom have since died, and another is seriously injured.
I regret to say there is very little hope for the remaining three men. Recovery operations are proceeding but will take some hours because of the dangerous conditions.
Her Majesty's inspectors have been present throughout the night, and have commenced the investigation, and the Deputy Chief Inspector is on his way to the colliery.
When I have received further information I will decide what form an inquiry into the accident should take.
I know the House will want to join me in sending our deep sympathy to the relatives and friends of all the men concerned.
§ Mr. GourlayThe House will be extremely grateful for the expression of sympathy by the Secretary of State. I join him in sending our deepest sympathy to the families bereaved as a result of the tragedy. The mine is one in my constituency in which some of my relatives work, and therefore what has happened affects me very deeply. It again underlines the tremendous cost of winning coal. I hope that the Minister will institute a public inquiry to see that such occurrences are likely to be prevented by measures that the inspector may find necessary as a result of the examination.
§ Mr. WalkerI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman. I know that the whole House will wish me to convey our sympathy to the community at large that he represents. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that the form of the inquiry will be the one most suitable to find out all the details, to see that anything that can be learnt from this terrible accident is learnt and that the lessons are applied in the future.
§ Mr. William HamiltonWill the right hon. Gentleman convey the best wishes of the whole House to the friends and relatives of all those who died and those who were injured, and will he pay tribute to the rescue teams, who are doing such valiant work? My hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline Burghs (Mr. Adam Hunter) has workers there, as have I. He and I and my hon. Friend the Member for Kircaldy Burghs (Mr. Gourlay) are all involved. In order that hon. Members may be apprised of the extreme difficulties under which the men work, will the right hon. Gentleman tell the House the gradient of the face? I do not think that many people appreciate the enormous difficulties under which the men work, in conditions that are supposed to be some of the best in Scotland. The House owes those men a deep debt of gratitude.
§ Mr. WalkerI certainly associate myself with what the hon. Gentleman said about our gratitude to the rescue teams, who are working in very difficult conditions. I do not know the detail of the gradient, but I know that it was very steeply inclined. Such detail will come out in the investigations.
I hope later this afternoon to visit the colliery and to see the rescue teams, and I will convey to them the gratitude of the whole House for the work they are doing.
§ Mr. BennOn behalf of the Opposition, I associate myself with the feelings of deep sympathy to the next of kin expressed by the Minister and my hon. Friends. I am very glad that the right hon. Gentleman is going to the colliery. When he is there, will he express our sympathy with the families of those who still have anxiety? May I also ask him to pay our tribute to the rescue teams, which I understand have won a safety award for their work? Will 883 he examine most carefully the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, West (Mr. William Hamilton) about the gradient, to see whether it poses dangers that had not been expected? Will he ensure that all help that might be needed will be made available from elsewhere and that the circumstances will be as fully investigated as possible?
§ Mr. WalkerI shall certainly convey the views expressed by the right hon. Gentleman to those I meet this afternoon and to the families concerned. As for help and services available, I am certain that from the beginning of the accident every possible facility has been provided. A senior inspector has been on the spot almost from the moment it occurred. As to the gradient and the problems involved, I will see that the nature of the inquiry into the accident is such that all information and all detail becomes available.