§ Miss Wrightasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will indicate how long he thinks it will take to complete the investigation into the explosion at the Witton factory of IMI (Kynoch) Ltd; if he is aware of the anxiety amongst local residents arising from this explosion; and if he will therefore make the report public when received.
§ Mr. Mayhew,pursuant to his reply, [Official Report, 20 July 1979; Vol. 970, c. 842], gave the following answer:
I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the detailed laboratory examination of certain pieces of equipment, to which I referred in my previous answer on 19 June, is not yet complete. The latest estimate is that it will be mid-August before the inspector is able to complete his investigation.
I can well understand the anxiety amongst local residents arising from this explosion. I am informed by the Commission that, by reason of the design of the factory and other licensing require-
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Numbers registered as unemployed Percentage rates of unemployment Employment Office areas Males Total Males Total Barnsley … … 2,847 4,116 Hoyland … … 360 480 Wombwell … … 573 889 Barnsley travel-to-work area … … 3,780 5,485 7.3 6.8 Doncaster … … 4,177 6,938 Thorne … … 968 1,556 Doncaster travel-to-work area … … 5,145 8,494 7.2 7.7 Goldthorpe … … 649 1,007 Mexborough … … 1,296 2,101 Mexborough travel-to-work area … … 1,945 3,108 9.6 10.2 Chapeltown … … 355 466 Dinnington … … 589 856 Firth Park … … 491 699 Sheffield … … 8,259 12,123 Woodhouse … … 522 644 Sheffield travel-to-work area … … 10,216 14,788 5.7 5.0 Maltby … … 487 749 8.2 8.2 Rotherham … … 3,256 4,856 8.6 8.0 COUNTY TOTAL … … 24,829 37,480 6.7 6.4 ments made by the Health and Safety Executive, any explosion within the factory is unlikely to have any external consequence affecting residents. I shall however, bear this point in mind when I receive the report of the HSE investigation and consider the question of its publication.