§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he was first informed of the fire on a lorry loaded with ammunition in the Newport, West constituency that took place on 30 January;
(2) if he will make representations to the United States Army on the safety implications of the recent fire on a lorry loaded with ammunition on 30 January and with regard to the substitution of civilian personnel for Ministry of Defence police as escorts for ammunition lorries at Caerwent in February and the conviction for drunken driving of a civilian driver who was about to collect an ammunition load on 30 March;
(3) if he is notified of collisions, accidents, fires and major breakdowns of lorries loaded with ammunition, by all armed forces stationed in the United Kingdom;
(4) what additional precautions have been introduced to strengthen Statutory Instrument No. 888, Conveyance by Road of Military Explosives Regulations 1977, to protect vehicles from the threat of sabotage or theft by terrorists.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyIncidents such as the one on 30 January involving the transport of military ammunition do not have to be reported to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. They are covered by instructions issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State on 25 April, at column 75.
Regulation 888 will be revoked by the new regulations referred to in my reply of 18 April, at column 369. This will not affect departmental responsibility for the movement of military ammunition.