§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about fire safety in the Channel tunnel.
§ Mr. PortilloThe Government are fully seized of the need for fire safety in the Channel tunnel. In agreement with the French Government they set up an independent safety authority composed of senior United Kingdom and French experts, to vet all Channel tunnel designs and operational procedures and, when necessary, to advise the intergovernmental commission to reject anything which would not afford a proper degree of safety. Both United Kingdom and French fire experts are members of the authority.