Railways Directorate (Hansard, 7 July 1993)

§ Mr. Wilson
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff have been employed in the railways directorate (railways 1 and railways 2)(a) in grades 1 to 7 and (b) in total.

§ Mr. Freeman
The number of staff employed in the Railways Directorate at 1 April this year, and in the four preceding years, in grades 3 to 7, as well as the total number of staff, is set out in the following table.
Wennington-Mar Dyke section of the part of the new A13 road stretching one mile either side of the boundary of the borough of Thurrock with the London borough of Havering.

§ Mr. Norris
On the Heathway-Wennington section, laboratory analysis continues of the samples collected for the chemical ground investigation. The exact content of the samples will not be certain until the results are available and these will be placed in the Library.
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On the Wennington-Mar Dyke section, no toxic waste or asbestos was excavated. All other arisings were deposited at suitably licensed landfill sites in accordance with the latest regulations.

§ Mr. Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who was responsible for surveying and supervising the extraction of materials excavated over the past two months on that section of the Wennington-Mar Dyke section of the new A13 road stretching one mile either side of the boundary of the borough of Thurrock with the London borough of Havering.

§ Mr. Norris
On the Heathway-Wennington section, only samples were removed for analysis from pits and boreholes and all other materials were replaced. On the Wennington-Mar Dyke section, the work was supervised by the Department's consultants W. S. Atkins.

§ Mr. Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what quantity of materials extracted as part of the construction of the Wennington-Mar Dyke section of the new A13 road stretching one mile either side of the boundary of the borough of Thurrock with the London borough of Havering has been deposited in(a) Aveley No. 2 pit and (b) Aveley No. 3 pit; and what was the nature of those materials.

§ Mr. Norris
On the Heathway-Wennington section, only samples have been removed for analysis and no material deposited elsewhere.
On the Wennington-Mar Dyke section, approximately 1,500 cu m of material was excavated for the advance works contract. Less than 500 cu m was landfill refuse material which was deposited in Aveley No. 2 pit.

§ Mr. Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirements exist for a chemist, or other comparable analyst, to witness the excavation of materials of the nature of those moved as part of the construction of the Wennington-Mardyke section of the new A13 road stretching one mile either side of the boundary of the borough of Thurrock with the London borough of Havering; and which such officials and for what occasion and periods were present in the case of that road section.

§ Mr. Norris
On the Heathway-Wennington section of the proposed A13, an extensive chemical ground survey was carried out. A copy of the results will be placed in the Library of the House when they are available. Trial pits and boreholes were dug along the line of the proposed new road east of the London to Tilbury railway and across the marshes. Appropriately qualified personnel, including chemists, supervised the field work.
On the Wennington-Mardyke section, the Department would consider, if appropriate, the appointment of a chemist or other analyst to witness the excavation of landfill materials on the road works contract. A chemist was not present during the recently completed advance works contract. The work involved some compaction of the landfill for part of a length of future temporary road diversion.

§ Mr. Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the results of the geological and other surveys showing the composition of the soil and ground along the Wennington-Mardyke section of the new Al3 road; and what details are held by his Department that relate to the previous dumping of waste along this section.
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§ Mr. Norris
The results of the geological and other surveys in respect of the Wennington Mardyke section of the proposed A13 run to 23 volumes. It would not be practicable to place these in the Library. They may be viewed on request and by arrangement by writing to the Department's consultants, W. S. Atkins at Woodcote Grove, Ashley road, Epsom, Surrey KT18 5BW, telephone 0372 726140.
The infill of the mineral extraction pits was uncontrolled and was carried out during the 1950s and 1960s. W. S. Atkins carried out a desk survey of the mineral workings in 1987 which included information provided by Essex county council, Thurrock borough council and London borough of Havering.