HC Deb 02 July 1997 vol 297 cc189-90W
Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the report compiled by Channel Tunnel Safety Authority Observers attending the BINAT 7 channel tunnel exercise on 7 and 8 October 1995; [5671]

(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the report produced by members of the Public Safety Working Group of the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority who observed the TABLEX II exercise on 19 May 1995; [5686]

(3) if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) the letter sent on 27 February 1996 by the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority to Eurotunnel regarding the BINAT 7 exercise and (b) Eurotunnel's response. [5672]

Ms Glenda Jackson

I am not in a position to do so. All three sets of papers contain information supplied by Eurotunnel. Disclosure would be a breach of clause 33 of the Concession Agreement of 1986, covering intellectual property and confidentiality, which includes a requirement on all parties to that Agreement, and also the Intergovernmental Commission and Safety Authority, to hold in confidence all documents and other information supplied to them by, or on behalf of, any other party.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what were the conclusions of the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority in relation to(a) alerting and activation, (b) delivery of emergency medical response, (c) evacuation of passengers and (d) Eurotunnel management of bi-national emergencies during the BINAT 7 exercise on 7 and 8 October 1995; [5685]

(2) if passengers were evacuated within the 90 minute guidance during the BINAT 7 exercise undertaken in the Channel Tunnel on 7 and 8 October 1995. [5673]

Ms Jackson

The Safety Authority letter of 27 February 1996, referred to in paragraph 86 of their Annual Report for 1995–96, is addressed to Eurotunnel and contains the key issues which the Safety Authority wished the Company to address following analysis of the outcome of the BINAT 7 emergency exercise.

It is not the practice of the bi-national Safety Authority to release detailed information about emergency exercises conducted by Eurotunnel.