§ Mr. Hastingsasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make a statement on the gas explosion at No. 2 High Street, Westoning, Bedfordshire, on Tuesday, 23rd November, 1971, and on the extent of danger from leakage of natural gas in general.
§ Mr. RidleyWhile I much regret the explosion to which my hon. Friend refers, I have no special statement to make about it. The conclusion that was reached by Professor Morton in his inquiry into the safety of natural gas was that the preparation of the distribution system for conversion to natural gas 325W should lead to reduced danger of gas leakage. I believe this opinion still holds true.