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ICL Plastics Ltd/ICL Tech Ltd Inquiry

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Peter Hain) has made the following Statement. The Lord Advocate, Elish Angiolini QC, and I announced on 1 October 2007 a joint public inquiry under the Inquires Act 2005 into the explosion on 11 May 2004 at a plastics factory operated by ICL Plastics Ltd and ICL Tech Ltd in Maryhill Glasgow, which killed nine people and injured 33 others. I am today announcing that Lord Gill, the Lord Justice Clerk, has been appointed as chairman of the inquiry and Roy Martin QC as leading counsel. I can confirm that the chairman has been consulted on the terms of reference for the inquiry and we have agreed that these are: to inquire into the circumstances leading up to the incident on 11 May 2004 at the premises occupied by the ICL group of companies, Grovepark Mills, Maryhill, Glasgow; to consider the safety and related issues arising from such an inquiry, including the regulation of the activities at Grovepark Mills; to make recommendations in the light of the lessons identified from the causation and circumstances leading up to the incident; and to report as soon as practicable. The Lord Advocate and I have agreed that there will be no other appointments to the inquiry panel.