05 December 2007 – Chair and Terms of Reference for Glasgow factory inquiry announced
Lord Gill, the Lord Justice Clerk, has been appointed Chairman of the public inquiry into the plastics factory explosion in Glasgow on May 11 2004, announced Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Peter Hain and Lord Advocate, Elish Angiolini QC today.
The terms of reference for the inquiry will include:
- To enquire 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
- To report as soon as practicable
Peter Hain said:
“I am pleased Lord Gill has agreed to Chair the inquiry into the tragic and terrible events in Glasgow. Now that we have a chair in place, and an agreement on the terms of reference, we can ensure that the inquiry will be focussed on the events, and the families will not have to wait unduly for answers.”
The Lord Advocate, Elish Angiolini QC, said:
“The events of the 11 May 2004 have a continuing impact on the lives of many people, on all those who were working in the factory that day, on the dozens of people who were injured, and especially on those who lost a loved one.
“This public inquiry will provide an opportunity, not only to fully air the circumstances which led up to that incident, but also to make sure that lessons are learned to help prevent another tragedy like this occurring.”
Notes to Editors
- The decision to hold a joint public inquiry was announced on 1 October 2007.
- On 11 May 2004 there was an explosion at a plastics factory operated by ICL Plastics Ltd and ICL Tech Ltd in Maryhill, Glasgow. As a result 9 people died and 33 were injured.
- The Health and Safety Executive and the police, working closely with staff from the Glasgow Procurator Fiscal’s Office, began a painstaking investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. As a result both ICL Plastics Ltd and ICL Tech Ltd were prosecuted for various health and safety breaches over a number of years.
- On 17 August 2007 both companies pled guilty to all charges and were subsequently fined £200,000 each on 28 August.
- The Lord Advocate has sole jurisdiction for the investigation of deaths in Scotland, following the conclusion of criminal proceedings she considered the form and remit of the inquiry, and in particular whether the issues could be properly addressed at a Fatal Accident Inquiry or another form of public inquiry.
Biography:
The Right Hon Lord Gill, the Lord Justice Clerk
Lord Gill practised at the Scottish Bar from 1967 to 1994 and at the English Bar from 1991 to 1994. He was appointed to the Bench in 1994. He was Chairman of the Scottish Law Commission from 1996 to 2001 when he was appointed Lord Justice Clerk.
When he was in practice at the Scottish Bar he was counsel in the inquiries into the Clarkston Disaster and the Lockerbie Disaster, and in several nuclear inquiries, including the lengthy inquiry into the proposed reprocessing plant at Dounreay (1987). Between 1996 and 2001 Lord Gill dealt with all 239 of the civil actions in the Court of Session relating to the Braer oil-spill in Shetland. He was one of the appeal judges in the litigation arising from the Piper Alpha disaster.
Lord Gill is Chairman of the Civil Courts Review which will be reporting to the Scottish Government in 2009.
He is the author of the standard textbook on agricultural holdings in Scotland and is founder and General Editor of the Scottish Planning Encyclopedia.
Lord Gill was chairman of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama from 1999 to 2006. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He holds five honorary doctorates.
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