§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make a statement on the latest position regarding the Dangerous Substances (Carriage by Road in Packages Etc.) Regulations.
§ Mr. Peter Bottomley[pursuant to his reply, 20 November 1986, c. 320]: These regulations were laid before Parliament today. They will come into force on 6 April next year. Operators will have a further year to formalise training arrangements for all drivers not already covered.
The regulations control the transport by road of dangerous substances in drums, bottles, carboys or skips. 338W They cover both manufacturers and suppliers of specified dangerous substances as well as vehicle operators and drivers. Important new requirements, in addition to that for training, include proper design, construction and maintenance of vehicles carrying dangerous goods, provision by the consignor of information about loads carried to the operator, possession of information in writing about the load by the driver, supervision and safe parking of vehicles carrying certain substances and fitting of orange warning plates on vehicles when required.
A new enforcement regime involving the factory inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive as the enforcement authority with assistance from the police and this Department's traffic examiners will be effective in maintaining the high standard of safety in this country.
These regulations complete a package of controls over the carriage of dangerous goods by road. All piecemeal and often archaic legislation on this subject, some going back nearly 60 years, has now been either repealed or replaced by these new regulations.