11 Nov 2011

Individual charges not enough - adviser

9:58 am on 11 November 2011

An international mine safety adviser says laying charges against individuals for the Pike River mine disaster is not enough when the whole mine safety system needs an overhaul.

The Department of Labour has laid 25 charges against three parties; their names and the details of the charges are suppressed.

There is still a possibility that more charges will be laid by the police.

But David Feickert says there is no point suing individuals who were poorly supervised by the self regulatory system of the Department of Labour.

He told Morning Report the current mine safety system has failed the country.

The next phase of the Royal Commission into the disaster starts next week.