§ Mr. BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what checks are made before a railway carriage that has been involved in an accident is put back into service; [100223]
(2) what percentage of railway carriages previously involved in accidents were put back into service in each of the last five years; [100224]
(3) what percentage of railway carriages currently in service have previously been in an accident. [100225]
§ Mr. HillThis information is not available as it is not reportable to the Health and Safety Executive's Railway Inspectorate.
Repairs and maintenance of rolling stock following an accident is a matter for the vehicle owner.
If, however, the vehicle or carriage is substantially altered during repairs, approval will need to be obtained from HM Railway Inspectorate under the Railways and Other Transport Systems (Approval of Works, Plant and Equipment) Regulations 1994 before the vehicle or carriage can be put back into operation.
HMRI have enforcement powers under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 which they would use if there was any reason to believe that safety had been compromised either as a result of repair work or for any other reason.