§ Baroness Anelay of St Johnsasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the projected cost of modifications to the Millennium Bridge; and who will pay for such modifications; and [HL2944]
When they expect the Millennium Bridge to reopen to the public; and [HL2945]
What studies were made of the safety issues at the Millennium Bridge by the Health and Safety Executive prior to its opening; and [HL2946]
What guarantees or indemnities were provided by the architects and the builders of the Millennium Bridge in relation to safety issues. [HL2947]
110WA
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyThe Millennium Bridge Trust announced on 12 June that the bridge would be closing from 10 pm that night due to its excessive movement. The various bodies associated with the project are currently discussing the problem and the possible solutions. Once they have reached their conclusions then they will be in a better position to decide who, if anyone, is liable to pay for work or who might be approached for support. It would be premature to speculate about how much it will cost to rectify the problem, who will pay for what, or when the bridge will open.
The Millennium Commission is not a party to any contracts between the project managers and the architects and builders for the project and I cannot, therefore, provide any information on any indemnities provided in relation to safety issues.
The Health and Safety Executive's remit was to make random checks and enforce site safety during the bridge's construction. Once the bridge had opened, it was treated as a public highway and was therefore subject to Southwark Borough Council's powers over highways.