10 December 2008
As the Buncefield Inquiry draws to a close and the incident falls out of the remit of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mike Penning calls on the Government to announce which Minister is now responsible.
Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead) (Con): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I should like to raise this point of order while the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is still in his place. Tomorrow is the third anniversary of the Buncefield disaster in my constituency, and it will also see the conclusion of the health and safety inquiry chaired by Lord Newton. I praise Lord Newton and his team for the work that they have done. However, this means that, from tomorrow, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will no longer be responsible for that part of my constituency that has been destroyed. Many homes there are still uninhabitable and thousands of people are unable to return to their business premises, either because they have been levelled or because they are in a dangerous condition. Mr. Speaker, has any Minister told you that they intend to come to the House, three years after the disaster, to take responsibility for the rebuilding of my constituency, following a disaster that had nothing to do with any of my constituents?
Mr. Speaker: All I can say to the hon. Gentleman is that that is not a point of order, but what happened three years ago was a tragic situation. I can understand that any constituency Member of Parliament would want to highlight the problems that still exist three years on. I suggest that he applies for an Adjournment debate, to which the appropriate Minister could come to the Floor of the House to respond.
| Hansard
Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead) (Con): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I should like to raise this point of order while the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is still in his place. Tomorrow is the third anniversary of the Buncefield disaster in my constituency, and it will also see the conclusion of the health and safety inquiry chaired by Lord Newton. I praise Lord Newton and his team for the work that they have done. However, this means that, from tomorrow, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will no longer be responsible for that part of my constituency that has been destroyed. Many homes there are still uninhabitable and thousands of people are unable to return to their business premises, either because they have been levelled or because they are in a dangerous condition. Mr. Speaker, has any Minister told you that they intend to come to the House, three years after the disaster, to take responsibility for the rebuilding of my constituency, following a disaster that had nothing to do with any of my constituents?
Mr. Speaker: All I can say to the hon. Gentleman is that that is not a point of order, but what happened three years ago was a tragic situation. I can understand that any constituency Member of Parliament would want to highlight the problems that still exist three years on. I suggest that he applies for an Adjournment debate, to which the appropriate Minister could come to the Floor of the House to respond.
| Hansard
