§ Mr. Silkinasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether in the light of the recent environmental disasters in the Rhine, he is satisfied that the fire brigades have adequate contingency plans and sufficient absorbent materials to be able to contain the damage from accidents in the United Kingdom involving toxic chemicals rather than spreading the effects of the chemicals by hosing them down.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggUnder the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984 responsibility for preparing contingency plans rests with individual manufacturers whose activities involve the use of dangerous chemicals. All emergency services—including fire authorities — are considered in the formulation of such plans and in particular cases will make necessary provision in the light of the likely scale and nature of the hazard with due regard to environmental considerations.