§ Miss Wrightasked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will seek to introduce additional controls on the transportation of hazardous materials by road and rail; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will seek to introduce measures requiring road hauliers and British Railways to give more detailed and earlier information about the movement of traffic carrying dangerous cargoes.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkePrior notification of the movements of dangerous substances by road would be neither justifiable nor practicable because of the great number of such movements each day. My right hon. Friend made new regulations last year covering tanker load quantities of dangerous goods, which continued the "Hazchem" system of placarding as part of a comprehensive system of new controls for such traffic by road. The Health and Safety Executive is currently preparing proposals for new regulations on the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances; a consultative document was published in178W December. The HSE is also developing proposals for the carriage of dangerous substances as packaged goods in quantities smaller than tanker loads.
The British Railways Board operates a stringent system of controls, including prior notification of dangerous goods; movements are monitored by the TOPS computer system.