asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the number of days taken by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise for (a) normal inspection and (b) preventive inspection at Tilbury, Dover, Ipswich and Felixstowe for each container load.
[pursuant to his reply, 22 April 1982, c. 132]: The time taken to examine the contents of a container varies considerably according to the circumstances but would rarely exceed a few hours. It is not possible to state averge times for the ports named, since records are not kept.
| Description of Sample | Number of samples taken | Number of samples tested | Laboratory carrying out the tests |
| Original bearing plinth material, samples taken during | 1,800 | 4 | Property Services |
| temporary repair work. | (approx.) | Agency Laboratory, | |
| Cardington. | |||
| Original bearing plinth material, samples taken during repair contract. | 101 | 0 | — |
| Original shims, in sets, from beneath bearing. | 40 | 0 | — |
| Original grease from between bearing plates. | 14 | 13 | Fulmer Research |
| Institute Ltd., | |||
| Stoke Poges, | |||
| Slough, Bucks. | |||
| New bearing plinth material | 901 | 901 | West Midland |
| County Council's | |||
| Laboratory. |
asked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr on 18 March, Official Report, c. 153, if he will make a further statement outlining progress repairing the bearing plinths at the Gravelly Hill viaduct on the Midland links motorway; and whether any financial penalties will be imposed if the work is not completed by the extended contract period of 2 May 1982.
The position on 21 April 1982 was that 90 per cent. of the plinths had been repaired and the contractual date for completion of the remainder was 2 May 1982. It is, however, expected that the work will not be completed until later in May.The contract provides for the payment of liquidated damages in the event of late completion, but the question of any further extensions on the contract period remains subject to decisions by the engineer to the contract, the county surveyor of the West Midlands county council.