§ Miss Wrightasked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to receive the report from the inspector undertaking an investigation into the explosion at the Witton factory of IMI (Kynoch) Ltd. on 20 May; and if he will then make it public.
§ Mr. MayhewI am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Com-488W mission that the detailed technical and laboratory examination of certain pieces of equipment, to which I referred in my previous answer of 11 June, has not yet been finished and that a considerable amount of work has yet to be done. The investigation into the explosion cannot be completed until the final results of this work are available. It is expected that this will take some time.
The commission has informed me that arrangements have already been made to make any information affecting the safety of workers at the factory concerned available to it, in accordance with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 28(8). As I have not yet seen a report of the HSE investigation, I cannot yet judge whether its publication would serve a useful purpose but I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as it becomes available.