§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the incident involving a contractor's vehicle which took place on 17 January, on railway lines in the area of Burton-on-Trent arid Clay Mills.
§ Mr. Freeman[holding answer 28 January 1994]I understand from the Health and Safety Executive's Her Majesty's railway inspectorate that it has received a report of an incident involving a contractor's road-rail vehicle at Elford which occurred on 16 January 1994. British Rail is investigating the incident and the inspectorate is holding discussions with BR to seek means of preventing a recurrence.
§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made as to the adequacy of levels of training given to the employees of private contractors before they are allowed to operate vehicles on public railway lines; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Freeman[holding answer 28 January 1994]: Primary responsibility rests with the railway operator. However, the Health and Safety Executive's Her Majesty's railway inspectorate monitors safety on the railways, and as part of its routine inspections programme undertakes random checks on contractors.