§ Mr. Urwinasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the construction industry on the subject of bridge design and construction over the past two years; and what replies he has given.
§ Mr. SpeedFollowing the appointment in November, 1970, by the then Secretary of State for the Environment in association with the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales of an independent technical committee to examine the basis of design and method of erection of large steel box girder bridges, representations were received from the Constructional Engineering Union expressing its concern regarding safety aspects during the erection of this type of bridge.
These representations were taken into account by the committee in framing, the recommendations contained in its interim report published by HMSO in September, 1971. A number of these recommendations were implemented forthwith for work controlled by the Department and strongly advocated for adoption by other Authorities. Aside from this, approaches have been made from time to time by various organisations on matters of commercial interest. These have been dealt with on their merits.
§ Mr. Urwinasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek facili- 432W ties to hold international discussions on the subject of bridge design, method of construction and application of safety measures.
§ Mr. SpeedDiscussions on the design, fabrication and erection of steel box girder bridges will be held in London on 13th-14th February, 1973, under the auspices of the Institutions of Civil, Structural and Highway Engineers. Consideration will no doubt be given to the desirability of arranging for similar discussions in relation to other forms of bridge construction.