§ Mr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the final cost of the repairs to the Erskine bridge following the accident involving an off-shore installation under towage; what contributions to the cost of repairs have been(a) sought and (b) obtained from those deemed to be at fault; and if he will make a statement. [9090]
609W
§ Mr. ChisholmThe final cost of the repairs to the Erskine bridge together with other ancillary costs related to the closure of the bridge is in the region of £3.85 million excluding VAT. Letters intimating claims in principle had previously been issued to those parties who appear to be responsible for the incident. None of the parties has admitted liability and no costs have been recovered. The next steps in the process of recovering the costs, including legal action if necessary, will commence in August 1997.