20 December 2005
Mike Penning MP welcomes the Health & Safety Executive Inquiry into the Buncefield disaster.
Hemel MP, Mike Penning, gave a cautious welcome to the announcement that the Health & Safety Executive are to conduct a wide-ranging inquiry into the disaster at the Buncefield Oil Depot but was disappointed that the inquiry will be held behind closed doors. “I urge anyone who gives evidence at this inquiry to make their evidence public by passing copies to the local press,” he said. “The people of Hemel Hempstead have every right to know what happened at Buncefield on 11th December and events leading up to it”.
He particularly welcomed the decision for the inquiry to be headed by an independent Chairman. “As the Health and Safety Executive will be under investigation itself as part of this inquiry it would be ridiculous for them to chair that inquiry”, he said.
“Our local emergency services did a first-class job, but the inquiry must investigate whether local services should bear the brunt of incidents such as this. Would our local fire service have been able to cope with the reduced cover proposed in the future? What about back-up services? Our local hospital was the first point of call for the injured in this incident. What would have happened if there was no local acute A&E? What if the incident had not occurred at 6am on a Sunday morning?”
Mike Penning also called for the inquiry to cover environmental concerns about placing such a large oil depot so close to homes and businesses. This inquiry should not just look at the situation in Hemel Hempstead, but also look at the locations of other major oil depots.
A more thorough contingency plan was also required. He said, “Valuable time was wasted while environmental concerns about the use of foam and whether or not it could affect the water supply was debated. We should decide how we are going to fight fires such as this before we are actually faced with it. These decisions could and should have been made as part of the contingency plan.”
He also called for the inquiry to be thorough in its investigations in order to restore confidence in the local commercial sector and to reassure residents of Hemel Hempstead that their environment and water supply has not been contaminated by the fire. “It is vital that this inquiry provides answers so that the people of Hemel Hempstead can sleep well in their beds at night”, he said.
Many lives have been turned upside down by this disaster. "My thoughts and prayers are with the people injured in this disaster and I wish them a speedy recovery,” he said.
Hemel MP, Mike Penning, gave a cautious welcome to the announcement that the Health & Safety Executive are to conduct a wide-ranging inquiry into the disaster at the Buncefield Oil Depot but was disappointed that the inquiry will be held behind closed doors. “I urge anyone who gives evidence at this inquiry to make their evidence public by passing copies to the local press,” he said. “The people of Hemel Hempstead have every right to know what happened at Buncefield on 11th December and events leading up to it”.
He particularly welcomed the decision for the inquiry to be headed by an independent Chairman. “As the Health and Safety Executive will be under investigation itself as part of this inquiry it would be ridiculous for them to chair that inquiry”, he said.
“Our local emergency services did a first-class job, but the inquiry must investigate whether local services should bear the brunt of incidents such as this. Would our local fire service have been able to cope with the reduced cover proposed in the future? What about back-up services? Our local hospital was the first point of call for the injured in this incident. What would have happened if there was no local acute A&E? What if the incident had not occurred at 6am on a Sunday morning?”
Mike Penning also called for the inquiry to cover environmental concerns about placing such a large oil depot so close to homes and businesses. This inquiry should not just look at the situation in Hemel Hempstead, but also look at the locations of other major oil depots.
A more thorough contingency plan was also required. He said, “Valuable time was wasted while environmental concerns about the use of foam and whether or not it could affect the water supply was debated. We should decide how we are going to fight fires such as this before we are actually faced with it. These decisions could and should have been made as part of the contingency plan.”
He also called for the inquiry to be thorough in its investigations in order to restore confidence in the local commercial sector and to reassure residents of Hemel Hempstead that their environment and water supply has not been contaminated by the fire. “It is vital that this inquiry provides answers so that the people of Hemel Hempstead can sleep well in their beds at night”, he said.
Many lives have been turned upside down by this disaster. "My thoughts and prayers are with the people injured in this disaster and I wish them a speedy recovery,” he said.
