My Department has now received confirmation that aircraft operated by Gulf Air will be free from any Y2K safety related risk. Accordingly, my Department will not be taking any action to suspend permits to either airline to operate to the UK over the millennium period. My Department will closely monitor the situation over the millennium period and, in the event of any unexpected Y2K safety related problems emerging, will take all necessary steps to ensure that safety is not compromised. The privatisation reference was to make explicit the implicit point that a long process which started under British Rail ownership continued under other ownership. On the second point, there have been no references to Ministers.
Ministers have no involvement in the statutory approval process for track layout or safety rules.
They are the responsibility of the independent Health and Safety Commission and Executive and Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate. It was intended to hold an incident exercise with all three emergency services before the tunnel was opened, but unfortunately this did not prove possible. Holding an exercise now that the road is opened could be highly disruptive. Discussions are continuing with the emergency services to agree the form and timing of a full exercise. I am pressing for this to be held at the earliest opportunity.