§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on Operation Scotcheck on 13 November; and if he will give details of the involvement of each of the Scottish police forces, the Health and Safety Executive, Her Majesty's Custom and Excise, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Transport and the Department of Social Security.
§ The Prime MinisterOperation Scotcheck was a joint police and Health and Safety Executive initiative mirroring similar operations previously held in England. The purpose was to check that vehicles carrying hazardous substances were doing so in accordance with the relevant regulations. All eight police forces in Scotland took part in the operation. In addition a number of Government Departments were invited by the police to take part in the exercise for their particular interests and to be present at the various checkpoints. This is a cost-effective way of checking compliance with the law in a range of different areas.