§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has received the Chief Inspector's report on his investigation of the Loddon Viaduct accident; and what action he is taking.
§ Mr. Maurice MacmillanAs I told the House on 29th January, the final report of the Chief Inspector of Factories on the investigation of the collapse of falsework at Loddon viaduct is awaiting the completion of certain tests at the Transport and Road Research Laboratory. Originally it was estimated that they would be complete by the end of January but an interim report of the tests so far carried out has now been received. However, the laboratory has to acquire new testing equipment to carry out one of the tests and this will not be completed before mid-March. In the meantime, the Inspectorate has instituted legal proceedings against Marples Ridgway Ltd., the main contractor, for alleged breaches of safety provisions of the Construction (General Provisions) Regulations 1961 made under the Factories Act.