Written question asked by Bob Spink (Independent (affiliation)) on Monday, 8 December 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 December 2008. It was answered by David Lammy (Labour) on Monday, 15 December 2008 on behalf of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Large Hadron Collider

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent reports he has received on the operation of the Large Hadron Collider; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: CERN has recently completed its analysis of the incident that occurred in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) on 19 September which led to a large leak of helium and damage to a number of magnets. CERN has confirmed that the likely cause was a defective electrical connection between two of the LHC's magnets. CERN is now undertaking the necessary repairs to the LHC, and introducing additional precautionary measures so as to avoid further large helium release incidents. The repairs should be completed by end of June 2009.

Secondary information