HC Deb 27 February 2002 vol 380 cc1372-3W
Tom Brake

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment has been undertaken by(a) his Department and (b) the HSE of (i) the work undertaken by Global Crossing within the railway industry, (ii) the safety critical functions of Global Crossing within the railway industry, (iii) the nature of the contract between Global Crossing and Railtrack and (iv) progress towards meeting a timetable for the implementation of safety improvement in the railway industry by Global Crossing. [34977]

Mr. Jamieson

Racal Telecom (now Global Crossing) have a contractual arrangement with Railtrack, which is a commercial matter between the companies. There are no agreements between Racal Telcom/Global Crossing and either the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or my Department. Global Crossing supplies telecom and associated services to the British rail industry. Railtrack as infrastructure manager retains overall responsibility for safety. HSE advise that there have been no prosecutions against Racal Telecom or Global Crossing since 1 April 1999, or enforcement notices since 1 April 2001. HSE data from before this date are not available without incurring disproportionate cost.